New Telegraph

President meets Ooni, vows not to politicise security

…asks traditional rulers to help douse ethnic tension

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that he would not politicize the handling of the challenge of insecurity across the country. Buhari also sought the help of traditional rulers across the country in easing ethnic and religious tension currently threatening the nation’s unity. This was disclosed by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, while briefing newsmen after a meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa yesterday.

The Ooni, who is also a Co-chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers, assured that his colleagues across the country are ready to work with the government to fish out criminals in their domains. Asked what he got from the interaction with the President, the Ooni said: “The take home here is that the President has assured that it is not going to be a political thing because we all know the problem all over the country.

“We have a lot of bad eggs that mix across the entire country and we are having that issue again in the South-West. So I am here as the co-chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers to get the assurances of Mr. President that either of the parties won’t turn it to be a political funfair for us to just risk the lives of our people, our innocent citizens not only in the South-West, but the entire country.” Ogunwusi said the best was to isolate the criminals and separate them from others living lawfully in the land.

“The best way forward, that is critical, is to separate the bad eggs from the good eggs and take politics out of it. We don’t want any politics to be mingled with it. We the traditional rulers, we know the good, the bad and the ugly in our domains. So it is a very clear strategy.

“Those bad eggs, we want to fish them out. Politics is different from taking out the bad eggs from the good eggs and it is the blessing of Mr. President we have come for. So, any time we are sensing politics, we the traditional rulers will have to cry out. So that is the reason why I am here,” he said.

On the charge by the President for the traditional rulers to help douse tension, the Ooni said: “I am happy he has told me that I should assure other traditional rulers that we must work with them now.

It is very important for us to work very closely with the government so that we can separate the good, the bad and the ugly. “It is very important for us to separate the corn from the chaff because a lot of them are actually coming in through the porous borders that we have.” Ogunwusi added that the President had also directed the governors to work with the traditional rulers in their states to ridthe nation of crimes and criminals.

“So, here, the objective is politics shouldn’t be mixed with the safety and the security concerns of our people. Politics should be completely taken out of it, and to the glory of God, Mr. President said he is fully on board with us as traditional rulers,” he stressed. Asked to comment on recent appointment of the new Service Chiefs, the Ooni said such was a welcome development. According to him, the new officers are expected to bring on board fresh ideas in the fight against insecurity in the country, adding that the President was building a legacy for himself and would be assisted by the people in doing so.

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