Vice President Kashim Shettima has solicited the support of Nigerians for the actualization of the programmes and policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, insisting that the President means well for all Nigerians.
According to him, contrary to speculations in some quarters, President Tinubu is neither anti-north nor anti-Islam, and the President has reflected this in appointments to key positions in Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Senator Shettima said this when he received representatives of media practitioners from the northern part of the country on a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
On the planned nationwide protest, Senator Shettima acknowledged the right of citizens to protest, but pointed out that it has its own demerits that are not pleasant.
The Vice President said current statistics of appointments into MDAs show President Tinubu’s choice of northerners for key areas such as agriculture, security, communications technology, health and allied services, among other positions in the Federal Government.
Citing the Resettlement Scheme for Persons Impacted by Conflict (RSPIC) and the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development as examples, the Vice President said, “President Tinubu means well for the North. Let us disabuse the minds of our people who have been misinformed that the President does not like the North.
Speaking further about the need for the media to rally around the present administration, the Vice President said that taking to the streets to protest will not guarantee any form of development for the region.
He appealed to the media practitioners to mobilize people of the region to leverage all of the opportunities offered by the Federal Government to transform the lives and livelihoods of the people.
The Vice President stressed that President Tinubu has shown his love for the North as reflected in his appointments where people of northern extraction are occupying sensitive positions.
Accordingly, he called on northerners to give their support to the current administration under President Tinubu in order to enhance development in the region.
