By Adeleye Kunle
Senator Hope Uzodinma of Imo State said on Friday that Nigerians should focus on the country’s security and socioeconomic crises rather than the religious affiliations of politicians running for office, TrackNews reports.
Governor Uzodinma made the remarks while fielding questions from State House Correspondents following a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa. He also condemned the menace of crude oil theft in the country, labeling those involved as thieves deserving of appropriate punishment.
Uzodinma, who told journalists that he was at the Villa to seek the President’s approval to rename the Federal Medical Center, Owerri, the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital, and the Alvan Ikoku College of Education the Federal University of Education Owerri.
In response to a question about the ruling All Progressives Congress’ (APC) decision to run an all-Muslim ticket in next year’s presidential election, the governor urged the media to focus on more pressing issues such as the country’s crude oil output depletion and the unsettling security situation, which he said should be of greater concern to Nigerians.
“I believe even the media; I’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to prioritize our area of interest.” First, the current mood in the country is unconcerned about who the candidates are. We were producing 2.1 million barrels of crude oil per day two or three years ago, according to the country’s mood.
“That has been our primary source of foreign exchange for over 12 years.” Suddenly, due to the actions of those with anti-national interests, we’ve lost over a million barrels while barely producing one million.
“I believe we should unite to condemn the activities of anti-Nigerian interest groups in crude oil theft and to restore the country’s economy, because you must first have a country before you can have a president.”
“Look at the level of banditry in Nigeria today, to the point where bandits are bravely entering the capital city.” We should all stand up and condemn these actions.
“By the grace of God, we should place emphasis on things that will unite the country and abandon those things that have the potential to divide it.” Our national interest is critical. Our national unity is critical. It is also important for us to be able to live together as brothers and sisters.
“The primary purpose of government is to ensure the safety of lives and property, as well as the well-being of our citizens.” To what extent have we assisted the federal government in accomplishing this primary goal? That is what we should be thinking about right now. However, putting Nigeria in a situation where religious dichotomy and ethnic jingoism are prominent means that you are working against Nigeria.
“So, let us allow political parties that have chosen their candidates, regardless of religion, to go out and campaign.” It is up to the electorate to reject the ticket by not voting for it or accept the ticket by voting for it, but if we continue to make these headlines, we are unnecessarily heating up our polity. “Please, in the name of God, let us save our country,” he pleaded.
Concerning the issue of oil theft, the governor charged the federal government with identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice, emphasizing that the act is a cancer that must be dealt with in order to stabilize the economy.
He warned against treating perpetrators as sacred cows, saying that “anyone involved in the practice, regardless of social status, must be brought to justice.”
