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‘Don’t blame Buhari for Nigeria’s collective failure,’ Gov Bello tells colleagues

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Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Friday, warned Southern governors against blaming President Muhammadu Buhari for the country’s challenges.

The governor, who featured in a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, warned against Buhari alone for Nigeria’s problems, saying the country’s failure was collective.

He stressed that the President has restructured the country by granting autonomy to the judiciary, legislature and local government among others.

17 governors from the Southern part of the country had in a meeting held on Tuesday in Asaba, Delta State, resolved to ban open grazing and movement of cattle by foot in the region.

The governors called for the restructuring of the country along fiscal federalism, devolution of powers and state policing.

They urged President Buhari to address the nation and convoke a national dialogue to address widespread agitations amongst various groups in the region.

However, Bello cautioned his colleagues on their utterances so as not to heat up the polity.

He said: “Let me caution each and every one of us, leaders across board including governors and all of the leaders across Nigeria that we should be careful about the words we use.

READ ALSO: Buhari is the most democratic president I have ever seen —Yahaya Bello

“When we are talking of security, unity and national cohesion of Nigeria, as leaders and politicians, we should be careful about the words we use when we are addressing these various topical issues.

“When we talk about restructuring or the various demands or resolutions put across by my colleagues from the South, they are quite germane and they are entitled to their opinions and I so respect it but when it is titled or when it appears as if you are fighting President Muhammadu Buhari, our father, and our President, we are all getting it wrong because we get to where we are today as a result of maladministration of successive administrations.

“There have been collective failures across board, so let’s not just blame it alone on the federal government or Mr. President alone.

“When we talk of restructuring, Mr. President believes in restructuring, I believe in restructuring, all of us believe in restructuring but when we are talking of restructuring, from what angle to what? Which context?

“I will describe my own context about restructuring that first, from what Mr. President has done by ensuring signing Order 10 signing autonomy to local governments, legislature, and judiciary. That is restructuring. How made of us are practising all of these in our states? How many of us have given full autonomy to local governments? Mr. President has signed it.”

Bello challenged the governors to start the change they want to see from their states by granting judicial and local government autonomy in their domains.

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