3 months ago
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The 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi State, Murtala Ajaka, has urged President Bola Tinubu to consider rejigging his cabinet to give room for fresh innovation and ideas.
Ajaka made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday ahead of the August 1 nationwide anti-government protest.
The plea comes one month after a former Senator representing Kaduna Central District in the 8th National Assembly, Shehu Sani, and the Coalition of United Political Parties called on the President to reshuffle his cabinet to bring in fresh leadership that could alleviate the burden on the masses.
But Ajaka believed a major shakeup in the presidential cabinet could assuage frayed nerves and give Nigerians, especially the organisers of the nationwide planned protest, the confidence that Tinubu is exploring every available option to cushion the country’s economic woes.
He said, “I acknowledge that the high cost of living is a pressing concern for all of us, and it is only natural to want immediate solutions. However, change takes time, especially when it comes to implementing long-term reforms that will have a lasting impact.
“We must trust in our President’s commitment to fixing our country and give him the chance to address these challenges. He is on course. We should not distract his attention
“Furthermore, I want to trust that the President will consider reshuffling his cabinet shortly and bring fresh ideas and people who will key in his renewed hope. This could bring fresh perspectives and renewed energy to his administration, allowing for greater progress and development.”
The former deputy spokesman of the All Progressives Congress also appealed to the President to caution his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, over his recent comments.
“Also, I would like to advise the President to caution or suspend his Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, who is bent on creating enemies for the President rather than friends due to his utterances on social media. It is no secret that our country is going through a period of intense economic hardship.
“As a special adviser, Onanuga ought to be working towards fostering unity and ensuring that government policies are communicated effectively to the Nigerian people. However, his actions and words seem to be doing quite the opposite. His rhetoric has been divisive and inflammatory, creating adversaries for the President and his administration across the country,” Ajaka stated.
Meanwhile, a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, claimed the August 1 #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest might be a coup to unseat President Tinubu.
Fayose stated this when he was featured as a guest on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said, “There is a perception out there that it (protest) is a coup. That is the perception everywhere. Now they are giving the impression that they want to use this coup for the military to come in. If you are not hearing anything, you have to put your ears to the ground.
“There is no leader that will allow them to come and topple his government. It is good that Asiwaju himself has admitted that protest is good but the people protesting should remember the consequences of politicising it.
“No man can turn this country around in one year? Let us leave all these talks about the APC and the PDP. I am not here to hold brief for anybody. The moment your finances are so bad, it is difficult. Today, it is not easy to turn Nigeria to the original state or turn around the situation so easily. And I mean what I’m saying.”
The demonstration, scheduled to run from August 1 to 10, has continued to generate tension and elicit mixed reactions from Nigerians
Several groups who indicated interest in championing the campaign said the call for protest was provoked by the soaring cost of living and economic hardship in the country.
Speaking further, the former governor warned that both the government and protesters needed to exercise a lot of restraint and not allow the issue to get out of hand.
“During my time as governor of Ekiti, I was one of the vocal people who put the (federal) government in check. But at no time did I call out people to go and do things that can bring the country down. We need to be very careful. We are in a critical stage of our life.
“It doesn’t matter if we protest. When you protest, you will come back to still find that the situation is the same. If Jonathan is not good, Buhari is not good and Asiwaju is not good, then there is a fundamental problem we all have to address. This is beyond Asiwaju coming to do a miracle.”
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