A pressure group, the Coalition of Concerned Kogi State Indigenes (CCKI), has said the timely and motherly intervention of Hajiya Halimat Adenike Tejuosho made them to jettison the nationwide protest that commenced on the 1st of August and is expected to continue till the 10th of August 2024 across the country.
The group comprising elites, professionals and youth groups across ethnic nationalities in Kogi State with over 2 million members also reiterated their call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint her as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation saying she parades the right credentials to curb poverty in the country.
According to the group, Hajiya Halimat Adenike Tejuosho prevailed on them to give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a chance to salvage the country, contrary to insinuations in some quarters especially from some overzealous stakeholders who are trying to take the glory of her efforts.
A press release signed by Comrade Philip Adamu Isah Hon. Oheiza Anda Recheal; Chairman and Secretary of the Coalition respectively, a copy of which was shared to journalists in Abuja, indicated that, CCKI had independently been working behind the scenes to unite the heavily polarized state through partnerships and collaborations with notable figures across the federation, adding that, it is efforts like these that has brokered the peace deal between them and the ace humanitarian, Hajiya Halimat Adenike Tejuosho, leading to their withdrawal from the planned nationwide protests.
Excerpts, “Kogi State in recent times have suffered series of setback due to perceived differences ranging from political, tribal and religious affiliations amongst other factors. For this reason and many more, we began to make consultations ahead of the protest on how to distance ourselves from the national rage and toe the path of patience, peace and dialogue.
“This quest for peace and unity led to our partnership with key Nigerian patriots like Hajiya Halimat Adenike Tejuosho who is an advocate for peace, a philanthropist and humanitarian dedicated to ameliorating the plight of the less privileged through the instrumentality of the Queen Adenike Tejuosho Foundation (QATFoundation). We had several meetings with her in Lokoja and the FCT respectively, where she solicited our intervention to mobilize our people against the nationwide protest in solidarity with the president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration.
“In acknowledging our strategic role and the need to avoid a bloodbath in the State because of already existing differences, Hajiya Halimat Adenike also persuaded us to give the Tinubu adminstration more time to address some of the challenges facing the country as most of them where inherited liabilities from previous administrations.
The Coalition explained that, they decided to heed her intervention, considering the fragile political terrain of the State and began to immediately mobilize their members across the state, expressing satisfaction that Kogi indigenes and residents have refused to throw the state in turmoil as it’s currently happening in other states.
“We are glad to have averted the looting, loss of lives and the destruction of government and private investments. Let it known that Kogi State is a very peaceful state, and we will not allow any faceless group to disturb the peaceful atmosphere we are enjoying here. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs more time to address Nigeria challenges and we’ll not distract him with a needless protest”, the release added.
In exchange for their gesture of goodwill, and in appreciation of the tireless efforts of Hajiya Halimat Adenike Tejuosho who has been known to deploy her personal resources for providing succour to the downtrodden, the Coalition appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to kindly appoint her as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“The long vacancy at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is disturbing, especially now that Nigerians are complaining of hunger and suffering. We therefore, want to urge Mr. President to consider competence, merit and positive precedents in his next phase of appointment especially for the position of Humanitarian Affairs Minister.
“Hajiya Halimat Adenike has overtime, demonstrated a humane disposition and competence, touching lives across the country with her personal resources. She has earned global acclaim rightly deserves a platform upon which she can reach more Nigerians and touch lives in a sustainable manner”, the release ended.
