Information Minister Advises Borno South on Power Shift... As Ndume Calls For Unity of Purpose

By Ahmed Abu, The Nigerian Voice, Maiduguri

The Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed has Weekend said that the agitation for power shift was constitutional and the law provided for such agitation but warned that such agitation should be done lawfully and in accordance with the laws of the land.

He also said Nigeria is in democracy and people are allowed to express their feelings and make calls for social justice and equity as well as fairness but has to do that in accordance with the law.

The Minister who stated this at the Borno South Movement Summit on Power Shift held Saturday at Barwee Luxury Hotel Maiduguri called on the people to pursue their course denivractucally and constitutionally.

Represented by the Director General, National Orientation Agency, NOA, Alhaji Garba Abari declared his support to the agitation for power shift, he assured that government will support any agitation that legally, socially, economically and politically was in the interest of the majority of the people.

The Minister urged the people to pursue their course peacefully and democratically pointing out that other states of the country also have the right to agitate for such leadership rotation in the interest of the people for progress and development of their area.

The Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume said the issue of power shift was necessary to give the Borno south sense of belonging and togetherness.

He however observed that even when the power shift crusade was successful, the major problem with the Borno south people remains disunity and until the Borno south people will change their attitude and unite, embrace one another, unity and support one another in their noble social, economic and political course, the struggle may end in vain with disunity.

The Senator maintained that unity is the back bone of development and progress of the people and society and without unity, no meaningful development and progress can be achieved.

He appealed to the people irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political differences to fuse their heads together, unite and pursue their common goal collectively without any sentiment and bias while citing the absence of some notable political stakeholders from Borno south at the summit.

Ndume noted that this was one of the main problem of the Borno south for decades that denied the zone leadership of the state in past which needed to be addressed first before any other thing can be done if success was required on their mission while pledging his support to the call for the power shift to the Borno south in 2019 to enable the southern Borno have a test of the state leadership in a rotational manner as obtained in other states and countries of the world.

He said demicractically, there was nothing wrong with the agitation by the southern Borno people hence it was all about social justice, fairness, democracy and equity.

Similarly, at the summit, the NLC President , Comrade Ayuba Waba called on the people and government to support the agitation for the rotational leadership while acknowledging the need for people to express their feelings and agitate for social justice, equity and leadership in southern Borno.

He also assured that the labour Union will continue to partner with the Borno South Movement for the rotation of power in the state from the Borno north and Borno central to the Borno south.

Ayuba Waba said Borno south has the capacity and resources to govern the state for democratic dividends to spread across the state with the human capacity or manpower,, natural resources and infrastructural structures available.

While Comrade Hamza Bukar said time has come for the leadership of Borno state to move to the south from other parts of the state, lamenting that, since the creation of the state, Borno south has only been producing deputy governors and this time around they want nothing but to produce state governor in the 2019 general election.

He added that the agitation became necessary having been patient enough and sacrificed as well contributed tremendously to the development and progress of the state in many spheres, especially, in the agricultural and manpower aspects of the state economy.