RUGA Ultimatum: We Acknowledge Your Concerns - Northern Governors To Coalition

                              

The Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) has called for restraint, following the issuance of an ultimatum for the acceptance of the Ruga settlements initiative, by a coalition of northern groups.

In a statement released by the chairman of the NGF, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau, the forum urged the coalition to allow the government handle the matter, The Nation reports.


Legit.ng gathers that Lalong assured that the government will come out with a solution that will be beneficial to all, stressing that the forum acknowledged the coalition’s concerns.


The statement read: “With the ensuing development following the announcement of the suspension of the Ruga resettlement initiative by the federal government yesterday, it has become pertinent for me as chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum to make clarifications on the true position in order to calm nerves.
“We have acknowledged the varied responses that have been coming in throughout the hours after the announcement of the suspension, which we see as part of the beauty of democracy which allows citizens to participate in shaping and moderating the functions of government with regards to matters of public interest.
“Meanwhile we urge all stakeholders and all shades of interested parties, especially from the North, to remain calm and air their views democratically and decently while allowing the government chance to handle the matter.

“In the meantime, we are happy to announce that we are reaching out in engagement with major stakeholders in the matter, particularly in the North, after receiving the position of the leadership of the Coalition of Northern Groups with the hope of getting the public to fully understand the whole concept and the wisdom behind the decision by the government.”


The governor said the forum acknowledged the coalition’s concerns and, in particular, its decency in urging the northern people to remain civil and resist the temptation to be drawn into anything untoward.


He continued: “We are reassured that the leadership of the coalition is genuinely and responsibly concerned with the betterment of the whole nation and with the well-being of the Northern region and people, in particular, and that it will continue to work for calm and understanding.

“We assure everyone that at the end of the day, what is coming out of the suspension would turn out to be more beneficial and in the best interest of the whole nation. We are working on a complete package that comes with multisectoral and multidimensional benefits that would serve the interest of all both in the short and long terms.

“We once again urge for understanding and cooperation from all.”