Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has urged the federal government not to muzzle patriotic Nigerians who are raising genuine concerns over the worsening security situation in the country.
Ortom said the federal government’s reaction to the message of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah was unfair as well as repressive.
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The governor, through his spokesman, Terver Akase, noted that Bishop Kukah is a selfless Nigerian who only seeks to unite the nation and speaks his mind frankly on national issues calling on the government to serve the people.
He suggested that instead of politicising the views of the Bishop and castigating him, the federal government should take a second look at the things he raised in the Christmas Day message to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Ortom stressed that Nigeria is practising democracy, which guarantees the freedom of speech to all citizens and not a military regime, which suppresses the right of the people to voice their opinions on challenges facing their country.
He added that it would be incumbent on the federal government to listen to the views of the people and take steps to address the worrisome security situation and other problems confronting the country rather than combatively engaging anyone who dares to hold an alternative opinion.
The governor further posited that the Bishop’s statement was a true reflection of the current situation in Nigeria and urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to listen to sycophants who may tell him that everything is well with the country, adding, ‘all is not well.”
“The renowned Bishop is not the first to call on the leadership of the country to strengthen security agencies and be proactive in combating the wave of violence and killings in parts of the country.
“Many other Nigerians have been making the same call on a daily basis.
“He was not the first to suggest that the president should be the father of all and not of only a section of the country or a particular ethnic group,” he said.
