Yakassai warns Clark over national issues

An elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, on Thursday, warned the Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark to stop using threats when speaking on national issues.

Yakassai spoke in a statement titled, “An Appeal to the elderly Nigerians for constructive engagement in National discourse”.

According to him, “I wish to comment on a statement, credited to my good friend, Chief E.K. Clark and published in the media concerning the part of the country that should produce our President in the coming presidential election in 2023.

“My comment is predicated on the interview granted by one of my old friends, Chief Edwin Clark. The part of the statement that incurred my displeasure is where Chief Clark issued a veiled threat on the issue of unity and peaceful coexistence affecting different communities living together in our country.”

Read Also: APC notifies INEC of February 26 national convention

He pointed out that he had observed Clark’s comments on important national discourse with threat, advising that an elder statesman of such an age should do away with controversial behavior.

Yakasai said, “Chief Clark is not the only elder statesman that issues such threats on unity and peaceful coexistence in our country. There is another elder statesman, who is also a friend of mine and who is fond of resorting to threats when discussing national issues.’

“I think at our age, we should avoid resorting to threats whenever we are discussing national issues. What is expected of people at our age is to provide leadership by way of offering advice and correcting any mistake we discovered made by younger Nigerians in the course of national discourse.

“Threats are not expected from senior citizens in any country. What is expected of the senior citizens is leadership, moderation, and guidance. At the age of more than one hundred years of existence as a united country, what Nigeria needs from the leaders is maturity in any discussion, so that those of us with advancement in age would be moderation and exemplary leadership to the younger generation.”

He, therefore, appealed to “fellow elderly colleagues to please watch their language when contributing in an important national discourse”, stressing that will “make their contributions more positive in moving our nation forward than disuniting it”.