NO APOLOGY THAT AL-MAKURA CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVITY!
Yakubu Lamai
Director General: Strategic Communication and Press
The Directorate of Strategic Communication and Press Affairs to Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura has noted with shock the crude remarks made by Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia as published by BLUEPRINT Newspaper of October 29th 2018, where he alleged that: “The APC Governorship primaries were conducted in Nasarawa State to favour a “FOREIGNER” and “to deny the people of Nasarawa State an opportunity to be governed by THEIR BONAFIDE SONS RATHER THAN A NON-INDIGENE WHO IS A SUGAR CANE SELLER FROM KANO STATE!”
Mr. Mailafia should know that as someone who is vying to become Nigeria’s President his task is to bring greater understanding and shape the attitude of ordinary citizens to collectively build this country on the basis of “UNITY AND FAITH, PEACE AND PROGRESS” instead of whipping up primordial sentiments to heat up the polity.
Umaru Tanko Al-makura is a governor who believes in the dictum: “Democracy can only work if all groups in a society feel that they belong to it, and it belongs to them”, which is why IN NASARAWA STATE, GOVERNANCE IS INCLUSIVE and Governor Al-makura does not retreat into ethnic and regional shells, or religious conclaves in his sacred commitment to eradicate poverty, promote social integration and nurture an INCLUSIVE NASARAWA STATE where diversity is respected and all citizens have EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPMENT!
The position of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura is clear. And we make no apology for it! The old order of igniting indigenes versus settlers or excavating vestiges of tribe and religion as political campaign issue to divide people, must be swept aside for the sake of equity and justice. The vested interests like Obadiah Mailafia who sustain politics of tribe, preconceived prejudice and religious bias in Nigeria must search their conscience and give up their vitriolic and outdated model of politics of hate and move decisively to accept the politics of hope!
What is at stake in the forthcoming elections of 2019 is the future of Nigeria and politicians like Obadiah Mailafiya who aspire to “LEAD” Nigeria must in actual fact “LEAD THE WAY”, SHOW THE WAY and SET PATRIOTIC EXAMPLE by encouraging their followers to MOVE AWAY from looking at political campaign issues from the prism of religion, tribe or regional sentiment.
We advise Mr. Mailafia to show political maturity and emotional restraint and to rise up to the hallmark of a Presidential candidate who exemplifies nationalistic character and moral virtue reminiscent of a statesman. Our last word to Obadiah Mailafia is this: “PLEASE YOU SHOULD READ THE NIGERIAN CONSTITUTION AND UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CITIZEN AND A FOREIGNER” before you go about stoking the embers of ethnic militia and the worn out cliché of indigenous slaves held captive by faceless feudal overlords!
