The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, has condemned the statement made by Garba Shehu, Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity against some individuals demanding that the country should be restructured.
The statement issued by Yinka Odumakin, Chief Guy Ikokwu, Senator Bassey Henshaw and Isuwa Dogo from South West, South East, South South and Middle Belt, respectively, said the forum would not succumb to the Presidency’s narrow idea but would insist on restructuring the country.
The SMBLF said that Garba Shehu is sounding like spokesman of Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt as he dismissed the recurring agitations as unpatriotic outbursts.
Garba Shehu had warned that such unpatriotic outbursts are unhelpful and unwarranted as this government will not succumb to threats and take any decision out of pressure at a time when the nation’s full attention is needed to deal with the security challenges facing it at a time of the COVID – 19 health crisis.
The SMBFL accused the regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari of talking down on Nigerians in very intemperate language.
The statement titled, “Stop playing Pharaoh” noted that they are perturbed that instead of giving assurances about rebuilding the country towards inclusivity, the regime is talking down on Nigerians in very intemperate language.
The statement explained that the regime cannot cow Nigerians by using cantonment approach to national issues, insisting, “We will not accept turning us to second class citizens on our land not even with threats of arrests or assassinations.”
It explained that they cannot be clapping for the government when the Customs appoints eight Deputy Comptrollers from a section of the country.
“Are we expected to be saying well done when DSS recruits 535 cadets from North West and North East and only 93 from the entire South and North Central?,” the statement asked.
It said that the presidency should know that those calling for restructuring are more patriotic than those running Nigeria towards implosion, adding, “Patriotism is to corporate Nigeria for all and not the sectional idea of Nigeria by the nepotists.”
The statement noted that it would not succumb to the Presidency’s narrow idea of Nigeria, but is “fully assured that this too shall come to pass.”
