Communicate more with Nigerians to douse rising tension — Kayode Ajulo tells Buhari
By Abayomi Adeshida, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to explore further all the merits of communicating more with Nigerians in all spheres of human endeavour as the new-found strategy that he has employed in the recent past to address Nigerians rather than using his spokespersons to address Nigerians, especially on policy issues because communication has been the only tool that can give all his followers a common sense of belonging as it is obtained in a democratic government.
In a brief review of the Democracy Day Presidential broadcast made by Buhari, one time National Scribe of Labour Party, Dr. Kayode Ajulo however admitted that despite the fact that many opposition leaders still considered the President as an autocratic leader, his singular act of recognizing June 12 annually as Nigeria’s Democracy Day has catapulted him into the anals of history as a true democratic leader.
In a widely circulated statement made available to journalists in Abuja, Ajulo who is an outstanding constitutional lawyer held that, “Communication is the key in any form of governance and President Buhari needs to use this more effectively than the Perpetual practice of allowing some unelected aides to engage Nigerian public on his behalf.
” Within the last two days, the president had four public events, the interview with Arise TV, traveling to Lagos, Interview with NTA and the June 12 Democracy Day broadcast, these engagements revealed a lot and it successfully doused some tension in the polity,” Ajulo pointed out.
Reacting to the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and declaration of a public holiday to mark that day, he noted that, “June 12 Democracy Day has come to stay, it’s even prescribed by our law, it’s one of the outstanding achievements of President Buhari. It’s a recognition of the collective aspiration of the people. It is to celebrate the notion that power belongs to the people,” he observed.
In the statement with a title, “June 12 President’s Speech: My Take”, Dr Kayode Ajulo, who is aa renowned Constitutional Lawyer besides being a former National Secretary of Labour Party lauded President Muhammadu Buhari over his infrastructural drive, saying Buhari within the six years of his stewardship as the President of Nigeria has done a lot in the area of transportation and other critical sectors of the economy.
While commending the President in his reaction to the President’s speech on the occasion of the commemoration and celebration of Democracy Day on Saturday in Abuja to Nigerians everywhere, Ajulo said, “let us be sincere when it comes to infrastructural development, Buhari has done a lot and such kind of laudable achievements should not be wished away.
dr. Ajulo however called on the President to redouble his effort in the area of electricity, while urging him to, “look into the electricity sector as little or nothing had been achieved in that area”.
On security, Ajulo said that, ” more premium should be placed on security to curtail the present security challenges. There is a need for me to stress here that the President should give more attention to community policing.
“At this particular point in the history of our nation, there is a need for a clear cut policy on community policing. As a matter of urgent priority, the President should lput structures in place that would look into how the policy would work across the socio-sectotral setting in the country.
“The only addition I have to make is that such a policy should be able to bring a lasting solution to the issues of banditry, kidnapping, attack on security personnel and infrastructure as well as the general insecurity that has taken over every region of the country in recent past.
In his alignment with the President’s stance on constitutional amendment that only the National Assembly could amend the constitution, ” Ajulo reasoned that, “the President just said it as it is, only the legislative arm of government can alter the constitution. The matter is a constitutional issue and it is so enshrined that the President has no such power but only the Legislators can go through the process and effectively carry out the amendment of the constitution.
He however opined that.”the President could use his power as the President, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation, the only office whose constituency is the entire Country and the leader of his party, the All Progressives Congress(APC) to lobby the lawmakers whose party are in the majority to achieve the process.
"Buhari has a role to play as the leader of his party with majority in both chambers of the National Assembly. Anybody can lobby but the President can do more with the enormous power he possesses to change the constitution,” he said.
On the claim of Employment for millions of Nigeria youths, Ajulo said from his experience much need to be done to tackle the state of unemployment in the country.
In his words, “the statistics being peddled is not cast on stone as from his experience the youths that depend on me have increased with triple figures within the last 5 years and there’s urgent need by the government to arrest the dire unemployment situation on the country, because unemployment is a dangerous fuel for the insecurity flame that is currently burning across the country.
