Abuja: A former Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture, Retired Maj.-Gen. IBM Haruna, has urged Nigerians to be more patient with the President Bola Tinubu administration on its various programmes and policies, saying that it has good intentions. Haruna made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while assessing Tinubu’s administration in the last two years.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Haruna stated that while the administration had its objectives and intentions for various reforms and policies, certain factors, not peculiar to only Nigeria, had contributed to the present realities. He acknowledged the significant shifts in Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape and the policy reforms of the present administration, including the removal of fuel subsidy.
The retired general noted that both the government and the citizens had been adjusting to new realities. He remarked, ‘The world itself does not stand still. The dominance of the Americans, the Chinese, the Russians are changing because of new organisations like BRICS.’ BRICS is an inter-governmental organisation comprising 10 countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
On whether the coalition of political leaders on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC) could unseat Tinubu in 2027, Haruna emphasized that what was more important to Nigerians were credible elections and good governance. He expressed his lack of familiarity with the ADC, stating, ‘I must confess, I don’t know them. I read about what is reported of them. I am not in their cohorts. I am not in politics.’
Haruna further commented on the development of the country, noting that politicians have their objectives, but citizens know where they want them to go, to evolve a democratic, trustworthy, reliable government and system. He stressed the importance of having an election process and result that can be trusted and the confidence that can be reposed in its results.
As a former chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Haruna stated that the organisation remains committed to its objectives, which have not changed. He described ACF as a social, non-partisan, apolitical organisation for ensuring that the North maintains its relevance, cohesion, and peaceful arrangement in evolving the Nigerian state.
He concluded by highlighting that virtually all the politicians from the North are aware of the concerted efforts at enhancing security in the North and ensuring fair participation in the political arrangements in the country.
