June 12: It Is Time To Rejuvenate Economy, Says Kwara APC Chieftain

By Steve Oni, Ilorin

A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, has said that the significance of June 12 in the nation’s democratic evolution made it imperative to jump start the process of rejuvenating the economy.

Mustapha, who lamented the adverse effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, called on both the federal and state governments to intensify efforts in the diversification of the economy, particularly into agriculture and agro-allied businesses for food sufficiency and security.

In a statement issued in Ilorin, the State capital, by his media aide, the APC chieftain was of the view that adequate investment in agriculture would reverse the trend of the nation’s economy sliding into recession.

He, however, felicitated with Nigerians on the occasion of the democracy day, stressing the need to sustain the legacy contained therein.

The former APC governorship aspirant, who is the Founder of a Non Governmental Organization, Saliu Mustapha Foundation, said democracy has come to stay, pointing out that the country has remained strong democratically in the last 21 years, notwithstanding the attendant challenges.

He cautioned the political class against over heating the polity, urging them not to see politics as an occupation but a mean of serving humanity.

Mustapha also condemned the rampant cases of rape in Nigeria and charged security agencies to bring perpetrators of the heinous crime to book, just as he tasked parents to ensure adequate protection and monitoring of their children and wards.

The APC chieftain therefore congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari, state governors and leadership of the National Assembly and the entire Nigerians on the commemoration of democracy day.

It would be recalled that the federal government had declared June 12 as Democracy Day henceforth in honour of the late acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Mashood Kashimawo Abiola