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Niger Republic crisis: FG takes steps to forestall spillover of unrest in Nigeria
From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
In a bid to forestall the spillover of crisis from Niger Republic into Nigeria, governors of the border states held a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and traditional rulers with a view to ensuring that Nigerians are safe in their own country.
Although, the outcome of the meeting is not clear, it was learnt that the dominant issue was how to protect the Nigerian citizens in case there’s a spillover.
Disclosing this yesterday, in Abuja, when he visited the Minister of Housing, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umar Raddo urged the residents of Katsina State to go about their businesses as adequate security measures had been taken in the event of any security breach.
He said that he was in Abuja to seek collaboration with the Minister of Housing regarding the Katsina State Urban Renewal plan.
“I think we have been very proactive on that (security) since the crisis started between Nigeria and Niger Republic. Governors of the border states had a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and then held a meeting with stakeholders. We were able to discuss issues with the stakeholders and traditional institutions so that we can mitigate against any crisis that would brew from the crisis that is going on and between ECOWAS and Niger Republic.
“We were able to be on top of the situation. The situation is calm. Our people are going about their normal businesses and nothing serious is going between Katsina and Niger Republic” he stated.
In his remarks, Dangiwa regretted that despite the efforts made by previous governments in the last 60 years, housing has remained an intractable project.
He, therefore, promised to tackle housing issues within the space available to him.
“Today, the housing sector remains far from where it should be in terms of meeting the needs of millions of Nigerians for decent shelter, while contributing as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation, and poverty eradication. This is the challenge that His Excellency has put on my shoulders. With the grace of Allah, I am committed to putting in the hard work necessary to break the jinx of failure and achieve historic success.
“As part of our efforts to achieve this, we have outlined a series of housing reform initiatives in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We plan to embark on a Stakeholder Engagement Drive with state governors nationwide towards achieving it. As my dear visionary, progressive, and reform-minded governor, I would like you to consider the rapid implementation of the initiatives” the Minister noted.