Former Governor of Kaduma State, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has faulted the ultimatums given to Nigerians living in various parts of the country on any problem that may arise.
He noted that the action is counterproductive to solution of enormous security challenges every growing society is confronted with.
The former Senator explained that agitations against criminal elements cannot be ignored as people have the legitimate rights to raised their voices against criminality perpetrated by anybody or group in the society.
Senator Makarfi advised leaders to rise above sentiments and emotions by looking more broadly and more holistically at issues and their pros and cons, in order to ensure justice to all.
Senator Makarfi, in a statement he issued on Thursday in Kaduna stated that leaders, across partisan and other divides, must also guard against the temptation to politicised the issue of security and realised that they must protect the country before playing their politics.
He assured, Leaders of political, religious, traditional, socio cultural and others must also be smart and guard their utterances and actions, as the handling of some of the issues arising from some of the problems requires sensitivity, delicate balancing as well as the capacity to operate above the fray.
“It is in this light that I consider the issuance of ultimatums and counter ultimatums to Nigerians living in various parts of the country by leaders and cultural groups across the divides as counterproductive and a far cry from the real solution to the problem.”
Senator Makarfi expresses satisfaction with the statement by the Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum to the effect that no ultimatum has been given to anybody by any Governor, stating that it is not to say that agitations against criminal elements are to be ignored.
He cautioned, “But leaders must rise above sentiments and emotions by looking more broadly and more holistically at issues and their pros and cons, in order to ensure justice to all.”
Senator Makarfi called on the federal government to intensify its partnership with the States and other leaders to bring an end to the banditry, kidnappings and other criminalities across the length and breadth of the country,
Makarfi enjoyed governments at all levels to do well to be more accommodating of critics and criticisms and avoid falling into the trap of always looking at and seeing critics as enemies, adding that “critics are not necessarily enemies, not even opponents; they just happen to see things from different perspectives.
“By engaging positively with critics, governments have the dual advantage of analyses from alternative perspectives as well as the opportunity to educate the critics on the insights to their own perspectives that the critics may otherwise be unaware of.”
