Politicians of conscience should rise up to save Nigeria - C&S

The Supreme Head, Cherubim & Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Prophet Solomon Adegboyega Alao, has called on politicians with conscience and unquestionable integrity to come together and save Nigeria from disintegration.

The clergyman, in a statement, yesterday, said the precarious situation in the country called for principled politicians to forget their political differences and work together to provide an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre.
He stated that while many Nigerians at the onset had confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari because of his antecedent, “it appears that forces beyond his control are not helping him to deliver on his promises. I have suggested to Mr. President to allow opinions to flow freely, particularly from the critics.”

The Head of C & S Worldwide disclosed that he was one of the firm believers in the unity of Nigeria, adding that he was also of the conviction that Nigerians would be better to stay together and enjoy maximum benefits of unity in diversity.

He, however, regretted that the administration at the centre was doing the opposite of what would keep this country united by being insensitive to criticisms. “In my honest opinion, brute force would not solve our problem,” he said.
Alao berated the government for arresting leaders of those agitating for secession, noting that dialogue and improvement on the welfare of the citizens and good governance would end all agitations.

He said: “It is naïve for anybody to say that our continued togetherness as a country is not negotiable. There is nothing that is not negotiable except death. The clamour for restructuring and devolving more power to the states to reduce the burden on the centre must be looked into.

“It is normal for people to agitate but the government can calm the situation by inviting the agitators for a dialogue. Government should address some of the contentious issues they are raising and consider the call for restructuring as one of the immediate solutions to ethnic crises in Nigeria.
“Besides, the failure of the government to fulfil its campaign promises on true federalism, curbing of insecurity, economy and employment for the teeming youths roaming the streets are major challenges threatening the peace of the country. Also, the alleged seeming non-adherence to Federal Character in terms of appointment to top security positions is giving the government a bad name due to insensitive advisers. I advise the president to rectify this urgently.”

He also expressed displeasure at the defection of some governors from the opposition parties to the ruling APC, saying their motives were not to deepen democracy but to escape justice after their tenure.

“I am disappointed that APC is accepting these bread and butter politicians. The APC ought to have asked why didn’t they defect during their first term in office.

“We all heard a former APC chairman when he told the governors from the opposition parties to decamp to the APC for their sins to be forgiven. Now we can see the rush to the ruling party, but they should know that it is not in the interest of this country to have a one-party state. The late Ghanaian President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah tried it but he failed,” he added.