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Nigeria Sliding Into Bankruptcy, PDP Warns
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, alerted Nigerians of what it called the gradual sliding into bankruptcy by the country under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus stated this, yesterday, while addressing the 89th Emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja.
Secondus, who welcomed eight governors and two deputy governors to the meeting, expressed displeasure at the worrying state of security in the country, noting that the situation was getting worse on a daily basis.
He said: “Our country is in a very bad shape. The populace is groaning in pains and the government response is heaping of further pains on them. This country is sliding into bankruptcy.
“Amidst the frightening insecurity accompanied by mass killings that has set fears on the people, what you get from government is multiple tariffs, Value Added Tax (VAT) and continued indulgences in lies and propaganda.
“I can report to you that between the last NEC and now, our dear country is still at the cross road due to the now obvious inept leadership of the ruling All Progressives congress (APC).
“The security situation in the country has refused to abate and nothing concrete is being done by the government to ameliorate it and stop the senseless killing of innocent Nigerians.
“Even when the National Assembly after reviewing the situation and asked the President to overhaul the security system for greater efficiency, the government has continued to demonstrate their insensitivity to the plight of the populace. Nigerians have never been as afraid of their lives as they are at moment in this country. It’s as bad as that.”
“In the North-East, the Boko Haram insurgency has returned fully and the President feels shocked that the sect still exists. We are already used to our President not knowing what is going on in the country even though as President, the bulk stops on his table.
“The President may have been deceived by the intelligence reports from his field men who continue to indulge in propaganda of claiming that the sect has been defeated even when the situation is worsening with banditry and kidnapping spreading all over the states.
“Nothing exposes the President’s insensitivity and distance from the reality and from the people like his shock that Boko Haram still exists. But what do we expect when the President’s chief security Adviser (Babagana Monguno) is in loggerhead with the President’s number one aide (Abba Kyari)? Your guess will be as good as mine on why this administration cannot move this nation forward,” he added.
“Great leaders of our party, between our last meeting a month ago and today, a lot of water has passed under the bridge, politically speaking. The Supreme Court of Nigeria has through its ruling, restored victory to the party in Bayelsa State resulting in the swearing in of Senator Douye Diri as Governor of Bayelsa State,” the PDP boss said.
“On the Imo State case which shook the nation to its marrow, the Supreme Court graciously accepted to review itself and this is still ongoing as the nation and indeed the international communities are anxiously waiting for justice,” he added.
“It is also necessary to bring to the attention of NEC the fact that the process for the conduct of our party congresses in 26 states is ongoing and I can assure that the leadership is ensuring that we come out of it rancour free, stronger and more united in these states,” he added.
The Rivers State Government has expressed worries over the high level of non-compliance of health protocols with respect to the Covid-19 pandemic, warning that henceforth any resident caught without wearing facemask will be arrested and prosecuted.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim handed down the warning while speaking on a live Radio programme in Port Harcourt on Saturday and monitored by the Tide.
Nsirim who is Chairman of the State Inter-ministerial Committee on Enlightenment for Covid-19 recalled the unhappiness of Governor Nyesom Wike during last Wednesday’s State broadcast with the attitude of many residents who flaunt extant directives on the wearing of facemask and other health protocols.
“The Governor in that broadcast also expressed concern that a lot of people in the State are not obeying the protocols. Social distancing, wearing of facemask and he spoke specifically in what is happening in some churches. Government will introduce policies, the onus is on the populace to obey those policies.
“Not just obeying it, the Covid-19 pandemic that we are talking about has defied medical solution for now. So to flatten the curve, everyone living and doing business in Rivers State has to take responsibility.
“If I take responsibility and everyone around me takes responsibility to observe the relevant protocol, we are sure to flatten the curve. But if people live righteously and just do as if nothing is happening because there are places where people are just living in denial.
“Some people still believe that there is nothing like Coronavirus. Two weeks ago, my committee rounded off street to street campaign in all the 23 local government areas of the State. They still met people who are in this denial. That is the challenge.
“The Governor is desirous that Rivers State remains safe. That is why he is initiating policies to ensure that strategically the state is somehow isolated from the national spread,” the Commissioner said.
Nsirim further said, “If you go around the State, since the executive order on facemask was introduced. You will notice that less than
30 per cent of the populace are really obeying that executive order. What we are seeing in the State is that people just put the mask around their chin.
“You go to some churches we see people open their mouth and things will be spewing out in the enclosed environment on the chin. The Governor is saying that to give this wearing of facemask the kind of weight that it deserves to save our people, a special taskforce be put in place.
“That is the only sure way because a lot of people are still living in denial. He said the governor’s broadcast is very clear, arrest and prosecute. Henceforth we will arrest and prosecute people not wearing facemask in public places,” he stated.
The Rivers State Government spokesman said arrangements have been concluded to monitor churches that fail to observe the guidelines of not more than 70 persons per church service, wearing of facemask, provision of water for hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers, while weddings and burial ceremonies should not exceed 50 persons.
Dennis Naku
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