—The Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of “dividing Nigeria”, adding that this disposition of the government is responsible for various agitations across the country.
Speaking on some national issues, he advised the federal government to be equitable, fair and just to all sections of the country, especially the Igbo people, whom he said had been grossly marginalised.
The governor noted that the Igbo have been made to suffer forever because of their role in the civil war, pointing out that; “It is the legitimate right of the people to agitate if they feel they are wrongly treated.
“Without mincing words, the present government has divided Nigeria more than ever. It is the legitimate right of the people to agitate if they feel they are wrongly treated. You can’t get peace where there is no justice.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. It is the wish of some people that an Igbo man does not become the president but this is against the spirit and letters of our constitution,” Fayose said.
Instead of using force in its bid to quell agitations for Biafra republic, he advised the federal government to dialogue with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and release other members of the group still in detention.
The governor called on the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to put in more efforts to be able to address some daunting challenges confronting the country.
“The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is doing his best but that is not enough. We must remember that those who make positive change impossible make violent change inevitable. A situation where a section will be suffering forever because of their role in the civil war is not fair.
“As much as secession is not an option, the handlers of our democracy must be equitable, fair and just to everyone. The Igbo have continued to suffer because of the perceived role of Emeka Ojukwu. If we say past governments didn’t do well, what has the present government done differently?
“I agree that secession is not desirable but there must be justice and equity. When people are being killed or vilified, you must expect a reaction. No region should begin to use power to oppress another,” he said.
Speaking on the way forward, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum called for a review of “the revenue sharing formula because it is not a true reflection of our collective interest. For the country to move forward, the states should take over economically.”
SPEECH DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT OPENING OF THE VOLUNTARY ASSETS AND INCOME DECLARATION SCHEME AT THE BANQUET HALL, STATE HOUSE ON THURSDAY JUNE 29, 2017 “When people pay taxes, they pay attention to what government is doing. There’s a level of social and political consciousness which people have when they pay taxes. So when people say that this is tax payers’ money that you are spending in that way, it is evident that it’s because this money is coming from their pockets that they are able to question political authority, question people who say there’re representing them and question government programmes as well”. “According to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the total number of tax payers in Nigeria is just 14 million. Of this number, 96% have their taxes deducted at source from their salaries under the P.A.Y.E system while just 4% comply under...
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