General Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former head of the military, urged Nigerians on Thursday to back President Bola Tinubu in his mission to free the country from the weight of gasoline subsidies.
After meeting with President Tinubu, General Abdulsalami made the appeal while dealing with press at the Presidential Villa.
Additionally, in the national interest, the former head of state urged Nigerians to band together and give peace a shot.
“Let’s all attempt to bring about peace; it is essential because without it, there can be no nation. In Nigeria, there is enough for everyone. I would like for us to attempt to be each other’s keeper and to work together to advance the nation.
In response to the subsidy debate, Abubakar said, “This subsidy issue has been on and off for a while, but Mr. President has decided to remove it, and I hope we’ll all see how to help him to make sure that he succeeds.”
previous President Goodluck Jonathan visited the Villa two days prior to the previous Head of State’s visit to update President Tinubu on the situation in Mali.
Although the purpose of his visit is unknown, it is thought that General Abubakar may only be making the President a courtesy call.
Recall that Abubakar helped to maintain stability in the years leading up to the 2023 general elections, in which President Tinubu triumphed.
The National Peace Committee, led by Abubakar, deserves credit for getting all of the main contenders in the February 29 presidential election to sign a peace agreement, which is thought to have significantly reduced tension during and after the elections.
Muhammad Sanusi II, the former emir of Kano, attended the meeting with President Tinubu as a show of support for his buddy who is acting in the best interests of the country as president.
Sanusi, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, also praised the President for finally resolving the double-edged problems of fuel subsidies and numerous exchange rate systems.
“My primary motivation for going was to publicly congratulate him. However, I also went to express my gratitude for his efforts in reviving the economy because I also wear the hat of an economist.
“As you are aware, we have discussed a number of concerns, including the multiple exchange rate regime, the subsidies that has caused a budgetary hemorrhage, and others. These are concerns that I have personally been raising for a while, so I’m pleased that he addressed them on his first day in office, and the markets agree.
“It’s critical that we provide feedback to the government when it acts appropriately. We don’t always complain when they act inappropriately. Therefore, he has gotten off to such a fantastic start, and in terms of the economy, we must come and support and encourage that we continue along that route and be supporters of the policies he has pursued, he said.
He added that President Tinubu had given him guarantees that the federal government will investigate the Nigerian Air Force attack that resulted in the deaths of at least 37 herders in Nasarawa state in January.
The Nigerian Air Force was allegedly responsible for the deaths of several of its members in the Rukubi community of the Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, according to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
The herders, who numbered around 40, were allegedly slain by agents of the Nigerian Air Force Base in Makurdi, Benue State, according to MACBAN President Baba Ngelzarma.
He claimed that they were returning from Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, where they had gone to collect more than a thousand cows that had been taken by the Benue Livestock Guards.
He claimed that part of the livestock was released to the herders by the guards after N29 million in fines were paid.
However, soon after arriving at their goal in Nasarawa, they were pursued and slain as they were unloading the livestock.
The attack was denounced by MACBAN, which cited the Geneva convention’s ban on the indiscriminate slaughter of livestock as justification for its classification as a war crime.
Conflicts between farmers and herdsmen worry me. President Tinubu shares your worries. And we spoke about what has to be done to start looking at some of those problems.
The instance of the 37 herders who were bombed by the air force in Nasarawa state a few months ago, about which we addressed a letter to President Buhari, is why I specifically came to plead to him.
And because we didn’t want the issue to be overlooked, we have now written a reminder. I was instructed to send that letter to the President, and I have no doubt that he will look into it.
