By Godwin Amunde
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), a forum of Nigerian governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described the year 2020 as the most challenging year of the century and commended the resilience of Nigerians in the year ended.
Governor of Kebbi state, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who is the PGF chairman, in a statement titled: ‘A call for national unity to overcome our challenges’, issued for and on behalf of Progressive Governors said that the combined effects of all the pandemic have further increased the security challenges in the country.
Describing 2020 as the most challenging year of the last century, the PGF observed that the onset the COVID 19 pandemic have left unsavory consequences both economic, security and other challenges that affected all nations of the world.
The statement reads in part: “The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) wishes to join all Nigerians to welcome the beginning of 2021. We commend the resilience of Nigerians, and indeed humanity all over the world.
“The year 2020 was the most challenging year of the last century. People and nations across the globe are still struggling with the health pandemic occasioned by Covid-19. The discovery of vaccine at the end of 2020 is a landmark progress, which certainly bolster hope that human life will return to normal in 2021.
“Apart from the difficult health challenges experienced by citizens who got infected by the COVID-19 virus, resulting in unfortunate loss of lives, periods of lockdowns in Nigeria and world over as a result of the pandemic, spanning over a period of close to six months, created a lot of hardships for our citizens.
“The adverse economic consequences have created economic recessions for virtually all countries. Combined effects of all these have further increase our security challenges in the country.
“The challenge before us as a nation is to ensure the development of democratic institutions in the country to be able to mobilise effective national responses and resolution of the health challenges created by the pandemic, the economic difficulty and the security challenges facing the country.
“These are not issues that should be reduced to politics. We must appeal to all Nigerian to have a strong sense of national unity and togetherness in responding to these challenges.
The statement further reads: “We, in particular, wish to note that, once again, our party, APC, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is able to inspire the process of producing a national budget for the year 2021 before the New Year. This new fiscal orientation is part of the change we promised Nigerians.
“One issue that has dominated public attention, especially in the second half of 2020 was the new wave of insecurity in the country. Beyond Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east, sadly we now have banditry in North West, which is as disruptive and threatening as the activities of insurgents. In addition, kidnapping activities is rampant in North-central and South-west and is spreading to every parts of the country.
“Every Nigerians is justifiably disturbed by this unfortunate development. While acknowledging that our security agencies are doing their best to control the situation, a lot more need to be done. We are confident that our security agencies will effectively restore order and guarantee security of lives and properties of all Nigerians in every part of the country. “We appeal to all Nigerians to continue to support our security forces in the effort to end insecurity in the country. Nigerians must resist all attempts to politicise insecurity. Ending insecurity will require strong national unity.”
