Nyako again slams state of emergency in Adamawa
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has for the umpteenth time slammed the Federal Government for imposing a state of emergency in the state.
He decried the lack of compassion on the part of the Presidency in dealing with issues related to the welfare and progress of the people of Adamawa State.
Nyako, while receiving two top officials of the United States Embassy on a courtesy call at his residence in the early hours of Sunday, described the imposition of the emergency rule on his state as unjust.
The two visitors are Maria Brower, the Deputy Chief of Mission US Embassy, Abuja and Michael Harvey of the USAID. According to the governor, the state of emergency has inflicted untold social and economic hardships on the people and worsened the poverty situation in the state.
The governor told the visiting envoys that part of his cardinal objectives in government is to reduce the number of jobless youth on the streets, empower widows and the physically challenged.
Governor Nyako equally decried the absence of Federal projects in Adamawa State and blamed it on the Abuja based Adamawa Elite who are misleading the President and making him treat the State with disdain. He said someone should remind Mr. President that the interest and welfare of the people of Adamawa State should be more important to him than those of the few elites around him.
He expressed appreciation to the visitors for finding time to him a visit and to share his views on the socio-political situation in the state.Governor Nyako reiterated his earlier call for a Federal Intervention programme on Empowerment in the North-East sub-Region as the best way to address the security challenges in the region.
He said the State of Emergency had robbed the State of services of some foreign technical partners including the Americans who were working on the Kiri Dam Hydroelectric project.
Speaking with Journalists at the end of the visit, the team leader Maria Brower said they came on a courtesy visit to the Governor to hear his views on the state of affairs in the country and to find out how things are going on in the State. She described Yola as a bustling growing city and that their interaction with the Governor was in her words 'very enlightening and interesting' Asked to speak on the security situation in the State considering the State of Emergency in place, Maria Brower said 'we are here in less than 24 hours and its difficult to give a complete overview of the security situation but so far we feel safe and comfortable, we thank Government for its assistance and we are very safe' Also speaking at the occasion Michael Harvey of USAID said they were in Yola to visit the American University located in Yola. He described the University as a great Institution located in Rural Nigeria making great impact. He said USAID is committed to partnering with all tiers of Government and civil society groups to stimulate growth and development and that they will assist Adamawa State grow and develop through the various support and intervention programmes of the agency.