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| President Muhamnadu Buhari |
Co-chair of Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, has urged President Muhamnadu Buhari to resist pressures from anti-democratic forces and sign the amended new Electoral Bill into law to open the democratic space in Nigeria.
The cleric who made the appeal while delivering a keynote address at the National Security Sensitisation Campaign against political Thuggery, Kidnapping, Drug Addiction, Radicalism and Violent Extremism held in Umuahia, said that Buhari had no moral excuse to decline assent from the bill when it had been amended to suit his observations.
His words: “Clause 84 of the Electoral Bill that stalemated the signing of the bill into law has since been amended, Mr President, when you declined assent, you promised to sign the
bill if changes are made to the clause.
“It is time to fulfil that promise in order to reduce tension and insecurity associated with elections in Nigeria.
“The world is waiting, and Mr President, you must resist pressure from very few selfish
individuals, but respect the will of the majority of Nigerians well represented in the
national assembly, and sign the bill.”
Bishop Onuoha also urged the federal government to quickly consider the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU in view of the pivotal role of university lecturers so they could call off the ongoing strike declared by the union.
The cleric argued that the estacode spent by Government officials on a foreign trip is enough to meet the demands of ASUU.
“The recurrent ASUU strike is counter-productive, as it endangers the future of the
young people, they are trying to revitalize the public institutions for.
“Have we tried to evaluate the impact of these constant academic disruptions on poor families and self-sustaining students whose lives are suddenly put on hold, as if you are pausing a movie on your Television?
The cleric who decried the hazardous effects of the adulterated fuel imported into the country sought tough sanctions for those behind “the economic sabotage”.
“Those who brought adulterated PMS/fuel laced with methanol into Nigeria have
caused national and economic damage to us.
“Nigerians are waiting for who will be held accountable. Unless the fuel passed through our borders and got distributed to marketers and outlets without a trace of downstream, depo or cargo documentation.
“We await the explanations from the authorities because as of today, no one has
resigned nor been fired for that embarrassment.”
The event which was organised by the National Orientation Agency, NOA, was attended by security chiefs, traditional rulers and various stakeholders in the security sector.
