Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura on Monday urged Nigerians to remain calm and not challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to fulfill his government’s pledge of paying N5,000 to
unemployment citizens.

According to him, Buhari reserves the right to
change his mind or review the promise based
on prevailing realities in the country.

The President had at the weekend in Saudi
Arabia declared that the N5,000 stipend was
not on his priority list and that he would
rather channel resources into the building of
infrastructure, education, agriculture and
mining to create employment opportunities
for able bodied young men.

Speaking with State House correspondents
after meeting with Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Al-
Makura said: “The president is the person
that can tell you precisely how he is working
on promises and interventions that he has
created by his ingenuity. And if at any point
in time the president is reviewing that issue, I
think he is the only person to that because
what he is doing is in the best interest of the
country. And so, it is not challengeable by
anybody whatever his position.”

Imo State Governor and Chairman of the
Progressives Governors’ Forum, Rochas
Okorocha, after meeting with the Vice
President however said that the promise will
be implemented one way or the other.

He said: “Well you see to be honest with you
it is a great idea, but there are many ways to
give that support, sometimes it could be in
cash which has its own challenges. Handling
of that is also in itself a wonderful and great
idea.

“Take for instance, in Imo State now I have
introduced what is called empowerment, they
buy motor cycles and give people N5,000 or
N 10,000, for me that is not my style. My
style is to declare free education, from
primary, secondary to university; nobody pays
one Naira in Imo state.

“The very poor people who have to ensure a
lot of social inconveniences to pay school
fees are no longer dong that, what has
happened is that he has saved that money to
produce further wealth, so if you keep money
through that system, it creates more impact
than physical cash.

“Physical cash sometimes creates more
problems, so it is great idea, we have to do it
one way or the other as time comes,” he
said.

He supported President Buhari’s anti-
corruption battle, stressing that any money
stolen out of the treasury will always have
adverse effect on development of
infrastructure in the country.

Earlier, Al-Malkura also disclosed that
he discussed with the Vice-President the
incessant violent clashes between
farmers’ and Fulani herdsmen in Nasarawa
which spilled over to neighboring Benue
State.

Attacks by the herdsmen on Agatu
communities in Benue state last week had
left hundreds dead and several building and
farms destroyed.

Al-Makura said he was liaising with the Benue
State government to end the clashes and that
the Vice-President was quite understanding
and cooperative as he promised federal
government’s quick intervention.

He said: “Secondly, I have also discussed
with Mr. Vice President about the security
situation in my state and what effort we are
making to bring everything to sanity.

“Also, I am making effort with my colleague
the governor of Benue state in having a joint
effort to see what we can do to ensure that
these long standing communal clashes
between Fulanis and farmers and Agatus in
Nasarawa and Agatus in Benue to see that
we find a lasting solution to it.” He said
He also lamented that since 1978 when the
state was connected to the national grid with
33KVA transmission lines, no improvement
had been made despite growing population
and energy needs in the state.

According to him, he discussed with Osinbajo
the need to connect the state with 330KVA
transmission lines.

He said: “Basically, I spoke with the Vice
President about the issues of power and
energy in my state. And as you must have
known, Nasarawa State being very close to
the federal capital territory, and I raised a lot
of demands for power and energy for
domestic and industrial purposes. And given
the sophistication of this area in terms of
different kinds of activities.

“And ironically, the state which was first
connected to power in 1978, is still within
33KV which is not even enough for the state
capital not to talk about other local
government councils.

“So, I have come specifically to request and
plead with Mr. Vice President and the
chairman of NIPP about the impending power
initiative in the country to consider Nasarawa
State as one of the states that will benefit
from the 330KV which is the robust
infrastructure for power that comes all the
way from Enugu to Benue and to Plateau
States. It just passed beside the Government
House but Nasarawa State has not been able
to benefit.

“I have been on this struggle since 2012, but
up till this time the state is still terribly
deprived of power and he has listened to me.
I believe that the people of Nasarawa State
will heave a sigh of relief once the 330 Kva is
done and another 132kva is connected to it
for easy distribution,” he added.

On the Vice President’s response, he said: “It
was very fantastic and he assured us that
they will see what the federal government
can do to quickly ameliorate the problem and
about the power, I got assurance from the
Vice President that we will succeed.”

www.thenationonlineng.net/dont-blame-buhari-for-going-back-on-n5000-promise-al-makura/

Leave all dis talk just ease the burden on Nigerians

I won't, I'll blame those who believed it in the first place

#peace

To be sincere I was little bit disappointed cause I been dey think about dt five 5k since Buhari/Osibanjo promised us.

But it won't stop me from saying:

Nigeria sai Buahri.

God bless mr president

Game; Apc are playing with Nigerians.

nigerian polithiefcians and promise and fail are just like ewa and bread.

t®Ásh talk.....

Rubbish

any imolite in the haus, abeg come clarify dis okorocha talk o.
school is free for una side but una still come full uniuyo n unical, una no like free thing?

Why be say every promise being made by PMB always go astray without fulfilling it Omo dis one na real scam o