The Director-General, All Progressives Congress (APC) Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has hinged the escalation of the #EndSARS protests across the country, on the failure of the Federal Government to discharge its responsibility.
In a statement he issued, yesterday, Salihu, specifically singled out the Ministries of Police Affairs, Youth and Sports Development, Disaster Management and Humanitarian Services and Defence, for blame, quipping that they failed to live up to their responsibilities.
Titled, “Save Nigeria from APC to command moral electoral credibility” the PGF DG warned that the current crisis is eroding the moral credibility of the ruling party and the political leaders.
“Crisis is always the test of leadership. That our dear nation is in crisis cannot be disputed. The crisis is already consuming precious lives of Nigerians. Properties and assets of citizens and government are being destroyed. Unfortunately, responses from our political leaders, especially at federal level are below public expectation.
“As loyal members of APC and importantly as patriotic Nigerians, we need to appeal to our leaders, in particular President Muhammadu Buhari, to kindly and urgently hasten intervention through appropriate civic engagement across every parts of the country to ensure restoration of peace in the country.
“It is now a national imperative for all our political leaders, irrespective of partisan, ethnic, religious, gender or any other demographic affiliation, to forge a strong national unity as a cardinal requirement for restoration of peace in the country.
“We are faced with emergency situation and every political leader should recognise that, in fact, political contest is only possible under conditions of peaceful atmosphere.
“The situation is such that our governors within their limited capacities are taking every pre-emptive step to avert further outbreak of violence in our states.
“While this is not a period to resort to any blame game, it is however important to recognise that part of the problem weakening federal initiatives is the inability of many, if not all the mandate ministries and agencies responsible for one form of intervention or the other to competently and effectively initiate needed responses.
“For instance, how can we have a Ministry of Police Affairs and the ministry is unable to simulate good engagement strategy with innocent young Nigerians calling for reform of the Nigeria Police? What is the advantage of democracy if a ministry cannot engage the demands of citizens?
“If all the agencies of government and political appointees managing these agencies had handled their responsibilities as is expected, this crisis would have been averted. In fact, the pressure on President Buhari’s direct intervention will not have been the case,” he noted.