Restructuring: Leave Alli Alone, Useni Urges PDP
VP happy with progress in Plateau
From George Oji, Josephine Lohor in Abuja and Funmi Peter-Omale in Jos
Former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Lt. General Jeremiah Useni (rtd), yesterday urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to refrain from distracting the Sole Administrator of Plateau State Major General Chris Alli (rtd) from accomplishing the task of restoring peace to the troubled state.
Also, yesterday Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the Federal Government was happy over the positive development of spirit of re-union now pervading Plateau State since the emergency rule.
Reacting to PDP's criticism of Alli for embarking on some administrative restructuring, Useni said what Alli requires now is encouragement to accomplish the onerous task ahead of him.
Useni expressed further told newsmen in Abuja that: "I believe that Alli should be left alone as his title Sole Administrator explains to do what is right. So far, he is doing very well, consulting with all interest groups and individuals that feel they were not given opportunity on the matter.
"This time around, we should not talk politics or religion. We should be talking as Plateau people. No party would get up now and be pointing accusing fingers at Alli.
"If Alli is doing anything that is not in the interest of the indigenes, the people will speak up and not the party. We should be talking as Plateau people and giving our support to him. This is emergency, we should not be talking politics.
"If restructuring will bring peace, if removing people will bring peace then, we support him. Anything that brings peace, the Sole Administrator should be given free hand to achieve that," Useni said.
Usemi's remark is obviously in reference to Tuesday reaction by the PDP on the sack of chairmen of the Plateau State Government agencies and the restructuring of some ministries by the sole Administrator.
Atiku in his speech when he granted audience to the caucus and executive members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Plateau State at the State House, urged the sole administrator and the people to maintain peace.
He said "government is extremely encouraged with this development. In fact, the state Administrator also confirmed that situations have greatly improved and this gladdens my heart."
The Vice President, however, reminded the PDP leaders that "as party leaders, you have the responsibility to ensure that normalcy returns to Plateau State, so that the people of the state can have a peaceful environment to correlate in all endeavours."
Speaking to State House correspondents shortly after the visit, a member of the Plateau State PDP caucus and Director General of Governor Joshua Dariye's second term re-election in the last general elections, Dr. Patrick Dakum, said he would not only be surprised but would go into shock if Dariye was not returned after the expiration of the state of emergency.
Dakum, said "for anybody to get power outside democratic process to me is an aberation and therefore the non-return (of Dariye) will throw me into shock." He added that since the declaration of state of emergency last May, "PDP members have gone back to the villages and have been working towards peace."
"Therefore, the objective of this visit is to regularly come to our leaders and report, just as we do in the state. We are also here to explain how far we have gone concerning peace," he said.
He noted that "for us in Plateau, we have accepted an emergency rule that includes accepting the fact that there is an administrator. The governor himself has been co'operating with the administrator to ensure that peace returns to the other places and as a result of that, if there are any observation like the merging of structures, we made the complaint and we believe that they are going to address it."
Speaking earlier, the leader of the Plateau State delegation, Dr. D.B. Zang, said the delegation was at the State House to brief the Vice President on the level of peace so far attained in the affected communities after the May.
Zang, however, called on the Atiku to support the leadership of the PDP in the state in its effort to rejuvenate the cohesion which the party is known for.
Meanwhile, an eleborate cash-for-arms programme which the Plateau State government announced early last month suffered a set back yesterday as the beneficiaries refused to be publicly given their monies.
The ceremony which was to hold at the cabinet office, state secretariat had drawn public attention because of the persistent radio announcements of the ceremony.
However, organisers hurriedly cancelled the event when it became apparent none of the beneficiaries was willing to co-operate in what has now been termed "a campaign to show case Alli's success "in ridding the state of illegal weapons."
No government official was willing to be quoted but a source in the cabinet office confirmed that the event has been put off because "the people who returned their arms were not willing to be shown on television."
On Monday, the State Commissioner of Police, Innocent Ilozuoke, displayed 78 different types of illegal weapons voluntarily surrendered by various communities.
The weapons surrendered include 12 single barrel rifles, nine dane guns, two double barrel guns, six AK 47 guns and one submachine gun. Others were 34 locally made guns, arrows, 10 cartridges, cutlasses, etc.
Ilozuoke reiterated that citizens who willingly surrender their weapons to the police would not be prosecuted.
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