The Northern Governors’ Forum has called for calm following the suspension of the RUGA settlement project.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Wednesday suspended the implementation of the project following the public outcry that greeted the initiative.
The governors call came on the heels of a 30-day ultimatum handed down to the federal government to rescind the suspension by a body known as Coalition of Northern Group, CNG.
Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, and Plateau state Governor, Simon Lalong, in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday pleaded for restraint from the coalition.
The statement read
“With the ensuing development following the announcement of the suspension of the RUGA resettlement initiative by the federal government yesterday, it has become pertinent for me as Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum to make clarifications on the true position in order to calm nerves.
“We have acknowledged the varied responses that have been coming in throughout the hours after the announcement of the suspension which we see as part of the beauty of democracy which allows citizens to participate in shaping and moderating the functions of government with regards to matter of public interest.
“Meanwhile we urge all stakeholders and all shades of interested parties, especially from the North, to remain calm and air their views democratically and decently while allowing the government chance to handle the matter.
“In the meantime, we are happy to announce that we are reaching out in engagement with major stakeholders in the matter particularly in the North, after receiving the position of the leadership of the Coalition of Northern Groups with the hope of getting the public to fully understand the whole concept and the wisdom behind the decision by the government.
“We acknowledge here the Coalition’s concerns and in particular, its decency in urging the northern people to remain civil and resist the temptation to be drawn into anything untoward.
“We are reassured that the leadership of the Coalition is genuinely and responsibly concerned with the betterment of the whole nation and with the well-being of the Northem region and people in particular, and that it will continue to work for calm and understanding.
“We assure everyone that at the end of the day, what is coming out of the suspension would tum out to be more beneficial and in the best interest of the whole nation.
“We am working on a complete package that comes with multi sectoral and multidimensional benefits that would serve the interest of all both in the short and long terms.
“We once again urge for, understanding and cooperation from all.”
