Leave Military Out Of Politics, Makama Tells Politicians
The Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama, has urged politicians to leave the Armed Forces out of politics, saying such is not good for the nation building.
Addressing newsmen in his palace in Kuta, Iwo Local Government Area of Osun state, Oba Oyelude said since the return of civilian rule in 1999, opposition parties were fond of accusing incumbent of using the military to suppress it before, during and after the general elections.
Oba Oyelude noted that the statutory responsibility of the military is to protect the territorial integrity of the nation and not to meddle in the mud of local politics of the nation.
“There is no doubt that this development is unhealthy for our nascent and growing democracy and nation building.
“It is noteworthy that it creates unecessary tension in the polity just as it also reduces the military to a dispensable tool in the hands of political class.
“On the strength of this, i am appealing to our political parties that as we go into the general elections to leave the armed forces out of their build-up to the elections.
“The Monarch said that the armed forces are not only the symbol of national unity and cohesion but also defenders of nation’s integrity” Oba Oyelude said.
The Monarch called on all Nigerians to continue to pray for the military and shun comments that could kill their morale in the fight against the insurgents.
Beside, Oba Oyelude also urged Nigerians to shun fake news emanating from those he described as ‘ some faceless civil society organisation, whose interest is not in alignment with that of Nigerian mass’.
“Our priority as Nigerians should be how our dear nation will rise and assume its natural position in the comity of nations regionally and globally”, the monarch said.
Oba Oyelude also appealed to politicians not to see the coming elections as a do-or-die affair.
“We need to ensure that we record another hitch-free elections as we witnesaed in 2015.
“We should also appreciate the opportunity which democracy offer us, which is our return to the polls every four years.
“We have ro realise that Nigeria belongs to all of us, Nigeria is older than most of us, and Nigeria will still outlive us.
“The beat we should individually and collectively do is to contribute our quotas in leaving Nigeria better than we met it”, Oyelude said.
ENDS.
