Northern Groups hail Buhari’s choice of ex-Nasarawa Deputy Governor as NPC Chairman

No fewer than six Northern sociopolitical groups have celebrated President Muhammadu Buhari on his choice of Mr. Silas Ali Agara, the immediate past deputy governor of Nasarawa state for the position of the Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC).

The groups, comprising the Northern Youth Leaders Council (NYLC), North Central Youth Congress (NCYC) Northern Youth Assembly of Nigeria (NYAN), Buhari National Students Support Group (BNSSG) and APC Youth Ambassadors, on Monday threw their weight behind the nomination.

According to the groups in a statement signed by their various leaders and made available to newsmen in Lafia, their reasons are based on Hon. Agara’s track record as a detribalize Nigerian who has the requisite qualifications and right character to steer the ship of the NPC that will give the country the right demography and census figure for proper planning and development.

“As a youthful public figure with an unblemished records, the President has no doubt, made the right choice that should be supported by all well-meaning citizens of the country irrespective of ethnic, religious, political or regional differences.

“We are however saddened by the recent turn of events with alleged plot by some political figures within the Northern region to withdraw his nomination and replace him with another northerner of a different religion and State of Origin as was contained in the Sahara Reporters online publication of Sunday 23rd August, 2020,” the statement read.

The groups view this latter move as a deliberate attempt by mischief makers to derail the unifying efforts of Mr President, aimed at balancing power equation of the country and enhancing social cohesion by the diverse ethnic and religious classifications of the nation.

“Beside his immense qualification as a bonifide citizen of the country and in line with the existing federal character principles, highly respected by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the nominee, Hon. Silas Ali Agara is a foundation member of the APC, who has been an ardent supporter of the President right from their Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) days.

“Hon. Agara surely deserves to be rewarded with a notable national position to enable him contribute his quota to the development of the country, especially now that there is a compelling need for collective efforts to reposition the country for greater efficiency.

“The Group may not want to join issues with some notable names and individuals quoted in the Sahara Reporters publication for improper attribution and its speculative nature, we however believe that for every rumour, there could be some elements of truth which should be treated with all seriousness.

“To this end, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari not to be distracted but to kindly forward the name of the nominee and other list to appropriate quotas for confirmation in order to lay to rest the prolonged speculations trailing the appointment, thereby putting to shame mischievous elements sabotaging the good intentions of the Government.”