By Uche Onyeali
Governorship aspirant on the platform of New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in Kaduna State, Sheikh Ahmed Umar has called on Nigerians to come together in prayers to enable President Bola Tinubu fix the country.
Sheikh Umar, who is the Chairman of Aftech Industries Ltd and a former senatorial contestant for Kaduna North Senatorial District, however, urged President Tinubu to take immediate measures to alleviate the economic hardship facing citizens, especially reducing the pump price of petroleum products and reopening borders to allow food importation.
The African youth leader of Tijjaniyya Islamic Movement, noted that the entire African continent is facing challenges, especially Nigeria, but urged citizens to pray for God’s intervention and also remain patient and patriotic.
“The nation has been set back by some of our past leaders, but the present leader vouched to bring Nigeria into sanity.
“The president wants to repair Nigeria. It takes one second to destroy, but takes 10 years to repair. I will use this opportunity to call on all Nigerians,
especially the youths, in a situation like this, we should go back to our creator in prayer and hard work. God listens to prayers. Always pray when you don’t have any other option.
“The situation we find ourselves today, while you are planning how to cope today, the next day fuel has increased again. Such a situation affects virtually everything, even things that don’t need petrol.
“But I still urge Nigerians to be patient and be prayerful because when you are handicapped, you take your Bible or Qur’an, that is the book you will use to seek soft landing,” he said.
Sheikh Umar decried the deprecating economic power of Nigerians, with inadequate take home wage of workers in the face of rising prices of food items occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
“The minimum wage is between N70,000 and N2,000, while a bag of rice is N140,000. How do you cope with that? Because of increase in fuel price, some people spend about N3,000 for transport going to work daily; multiply it by a month, it will give you N90,000 in a month and you are getting N72,000. So we should pray to God. What Tinubu has in stock for Nigeria, may God support him to bring us out of the hardship we are facing at the moment.”
On what he would have done differently if he had succeeded as a political leader, Umar emphasised the importance of security in sustaining the economic fortunes of the country and well-being of citizens.
“I contested for the governorship in Kaduna State. Some of my agenda was to make sure I bring back security. In Kaduna, what we need most is security because people no longer go to the farm and travel freely to other parts of the country because of insecurity.
“Once there is security in some parts of the north, 60 percent of our problems are solved, people can travel and do their day-to-day businesses.
” I also planned to ensure justice for all. A just leader is one that everyone prays to be associated with.”
Meanwhile, the cleric kicked against a situation where the Nigerian government hinges its economic policies wholly on directives from global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Bank.
On his political ambition, Sheikh Umar said he would still run for office under a different political party, though failed to disclose the new platform.
