Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday appealed to Nigerians to resist any attempt to destroy the unity that the citizens had lived and worked together for.
Osinbajo made the appeal during the revalidation of his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), at ward 1, Unit 3, Egunrege, Ikenne, in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The vice president said that government would continue to attend to the cries of communities for justice, equity and fairness, adding that the nation was stronger together than apart.
He explained that security challenges being experienced in the country were not insurmountable.
“We are in government at one of the most challenging times in history.
“The pandemic has made matters worse, and we have also had security challenges that have stretched our law enforcement capacities all over the country.
“What we must ensure is the prosecution of all those who have been arrested for kidnapping, banditry and all other forms of criminalities.
“There must be evidence that justice is being done.
“This is achievable by stronger collaboration involving the police, states’ Ministries of Justice and the Federal Ministry of Justice.
“With the new Service Chiefs, we have a fresh set of eyes, intellect, skills and a fresh look at strategies against the insurgency in the North East as well as banditry and kidnapping elsewhere.
“In this new approach much greater emphasis is being placed on technology for surveillance, intelligence gathering and attack,” he said.
Osinbajo stressed the need to strengthen the community policing structures.
He said that states must continually train, educate and formalise their local security structures so that they could complement the Federal law enforcement agencies.
On the revalidation of his APC membership, he said he was pleased to participate in the exercise.
“Permit me to welcome you all to Ikenne my home town and more importantly the home town of Papa Obafemi Awolowo, the father and progenitor of the great movement that we call ‘the progressives’ today.
“It is on the broad shoulders of the social democratic philosophies of the maximum happiness and well being of all the people that we in our great party, the APC, stand firmly and confidently today.
“Party registration/revalidation is important because it offers us an opportunity to have a credible roll of members such that we are able to reach our members from the polling booth level all the way to the wards, local government, and federal constituencies.
“Why do we want to reach our people?
“The people are the party and the party is the people. Ours is a grassroots party; a party of the people. Our focus is on the welfare, prosperity and wellbeing of all our people,” he said.
In his remark, Governor Dapo Abiodun commended Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari for going back to their respective wards to revalidate their membership of the ruling party.
He said that the registration and revalidation exercise would be successful in Ogun adding that new members would be mobilised for the party during the exercise.
On his part, the Southwest Team Leader of Registration and Revalidation Committee, Senator Lawan Shuaib, said that the exercise was to establish that ward remained the power base of the party.
He pointed out that anyone who desired to join the party should do so at the ward level, declaring that ward executive had power to discipline erring party members.
Also speaking, National Chairman of the APC Registration and Revalidation Committee and Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, said that since 2014 when the party held similar exercise, the party had lost some members and gained more members, hence, the importance of the 2021 exercise.
