The speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal,
yesterday declared that the political violence in Rivers State has
presented Nigeria with “a situation of gradual relapse into anarchy”.
Tambuwal also described the Rivers situation as “lamentable” and
avoidable on the grounds that the joint resolutions of the Senate and
House of Representatives aimed at dousing the tensed political
atmosphere have been ignored.
The speaker stated this in his welcome remarks on the occasion of House
members’ resumption from the Christmas, New Year’s Day and Eid-El-Maulud
recess.
Tambuwal said recent developments in some parts of the country
concerning civil liberties and the safety of lives and properties of
citizens are a cause for serious concern.
“The two incidents in Rivers State, the one in Ogun and the other in
Borno bear all the trappings of impunity which must be eschewed at all
cost if we hope to continue to deepen our democracy,” Tambuwal said.
He said governance must be subject to the strict observance of the rule
of law and good conscience, and therefore civility rather than impunity
should be the guide at all times and in all situations.
“The incidents in question exhibit an unacceptable level of either
failure of government or abdication of responsibility neither of which
should be encouraged in our polity.”
On the part of politicians, Tambuwal warned against recourse to unlawful
and violent means of projecting political interest and ambitions. He
urged adoption of peaceful advocacy and networking.
“It has worked in other jurisdictions and it can work here if we give it a chance,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment