You Talk Like An "Area Boy" - Afenifere Tell El-Rufai Over His Comments On Restructuring

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere has said the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai talks like an “area boy” for referring to those calling for restructuring as political opportunists.

El-Rufai had said those calling for restructuring of Nigeria were “political opportunists” 

He also claimed that people with presidential ambition were exploiting the restructuring call.

Reacting to the governor’s remark, Publicity Secretary of the association, Yinka Odumakin said El-Rufai revealed that he belonged to the group against restructuring.

Odumakin, in a statement stressed that the only way to put an end to the current agitations across the country was restructuring.

He stated, “El-Rufai should tell us his own idea to correct the imbalance in the country, because as far as we are concerned, the 2014 confab report is about the closest to the democratic representation of Nigeria.

“The confab consisted of representatives of all segments of the societies in Nigeria. But for somebody, who occupies a responsible office of a governor to be saying those who are talking about restructuring are irresponsible, it is very unfortunate.

“It is very sad for the governor to be talking like an area boy on the television. In Nigeria of today, we can now begin to take a census of those who are against restructuring – they are President Buhari, el-Rufai, Ango Abdullahi, Lai Mohammed and Tanko Yakassai.

“Aside from those people, everybody in Nigeria supports restructuring; that is the song everybody is playing all over the country as of today, whether we like it or not. Those who are against it are insignificant.’’

By Seun Opejobi

Quit Notice: All Southerners At Risk Of Attacks From Northerners – Afenifere

As Nigeria marks the 24th anniversary of the June 12, 1993 election on Monday, the Afenifere has restated its call for the implementation of the last national conference as a way out of the challenges facing the country.

It noted that the nation has been wobbling and pretending that its unity was settled since the annulment of the June 12 elections believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Abiola.

The group in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin pointed out that all southerners are at the risk of attacks by Almajiris and mujaheedins in the north following the quit order issued to Ndigbo by some northern youths.

It argued that the refusal of the security agencies to arrest the groups that asked the Igbo leave the north within three months, indicated that the Arewa youths were merely voicing the position of the northern political establishment.

Odumakin said, “We now mark another June 12 amidst an October 1 quit order to Ndigbo by Arewa youths who have also secured endorsement from the Northern Elders Forum, with the Arewa Consultative Forum conceding what they called “the frustrations of the youth” with Ndigbo.

“While the primary targets of the Arewa youths’ quit order are the Ndigbo residents in the North, we are not deceived that when the rubber hits the road, the Almajiris and the Mujaheedin would pick and choose among all southerners in the north for the baying of blood.”

By Adelani Adepegba

Stop Playing Games with Nigerians, Afenifere Tells El-Rufai, Dogara

A foremost Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has called on theSpeaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai to stop playing games with Nigerians.

 Recall that the two All Progressives Congress leaders have in recent days been publishing what comes into their accounts as monthly salaries.

Afenifere dismissed Dogara’s release of his salary slip as grandstanding in the face of public demand for transparency in the budget of the National Assembly and prudence by the legislature in the utilisation of public funds.

Speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, the group said the unprecedented effort in releasing his salary slip in the face of El-Rufai’s demand was a drop in the ocean of demands for more accountability from the legislature by Nigerians.

Odumakin said, “As far as we are concerned, it is a waste of time.

“Both el-Rufai and Dogara are playing games with us. What el-Rufai did was just to publish his security budget and not security votes.

“It also goes to show that we are not fighting corruption.

What the President should do is to direct the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, to reduce salaries of public servants. Until we embark on institutional reforms, we will not get anywhere in the fight against corruption.”

By John Owen Nwachukwu