Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to summon an enlarged stakeholder meeting to thrash out grey areas of concern affecting ordinary Nigerians resulting from border closure in the country.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that Sokoto has seven local government areas bordering Niger Republic, making it one of such states with international borderlines on the northernmost tip of Nigeria.
Governor Tambuwal made the call Thursday when he received the coordinator, Sector Four National Border Drill operations and acting Assistant Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Mohammed Aliyu on a courtesy call.
According to him, while the closure is mostly for security measures, other states feel economically disenfranchised.
Meanwhile, Mr Tambuwal urged religious leaders in the country to moderate their anger while commenting on national issues, especially the current security challenges confronting the nation.
He appealed to them, “to kindly moderate and tone down their anger.”
“Let us support, encourage and work with Mr President to ensure that we secure Nigeria. I believe we shouldn’t play politics. We should not bring in religious sentiment on matters of security,” Tambuwal noted.
He also appealed to President Buhari, “to as a matter of urgency invite some of these religious leaders and other stakeholders to a closed-door meeting.
“Let them have a fair idea of what the federal government is doing. If they have suggestions, let them speak to Mr President.”
He expressed concern that the country is at ‘crossroads’ of security challenges.
“The security challenges of the country are monumental. We must not deceive ourselves. We must support efforts of the federal government to restore security in Nigeria,” the governor stated.
According to him, if stakeholders are fully engaged in government decision making, setting up of disparate regional outfits like Amotekun and Shege Ka Fasa may not be necessary.
He stressed the need for the sensitization of the public on why the border drill operation is necessary, urging federal authorities to be more open to the members of the public with a view to earning their support.
He assured the state government’s support for the operation, which is also aimed at controlling the proliferation of illicit drugs.
In his remarks, Mr Aliyu said the border drill operation is aimed at protecting the integrity of the public and the health of the people.
He described border closure as significant because Nigeria has been turned into a dumping ground of all kinds of goods.
Mr Aliyu appealed to the state government to look into the possibility of enacting a law that would ban the sale of donkeys in the state.
He also called for the mounting of an aggressive public enlightenment campaign through drama presentations and film shows to educate the public on the border drill operation.
The acting assistant-comptroller also called for more support of the public for the effective discharge of their duties.
