Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State, has described the governors who emerged in the 2015 elections as “unlucky”.
Yari, who spoke in Enugu, where he attended a burial ceremony, noted that although the governors were lucky to win elections, they were unlucky to hold the office at a time the economy was “down”.
Yari spoke to journalists after a courtesy call on Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Sunday.
He was in company with Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who also attended the burial.
The NGF chairman admitted that the current “harsh” economic situation in the country, which was occasioned by the decline in the price of crude oil, was particularly tough on the first-term governors.
Yari said, “Each and every nation has its own problems, especially on the issue of the economy.
“We were discussing with our brother here (Ugwuanyi). We came in as governors and we can say we are not lucky but in reality, we are lucky because we won our elections. We came in at a time when the economy is down but we are managing.”
However, there is still hope, according to the governor.
“You can see we have hope for Nigeria. When we have security settled and we have the economy gradually working to ensure that all the leakages are blocked, we can enhance the revenue generation to the betterment of our nation. So far, I can say, is so good.
“We are making progress, more especially on the issue of security,” he said.
Tambuwal, who was initially approached by journalists for an interview, but declined, said Yari should speak in his capacity as the chairman of the NGF.
Yari, a former member of the House of Representatives like Tambuwal and Ugwuanyi, explained that they were at the Enugu State Government House because of the “good working relationship” they had with the Enugu State governor during their days in the National Assembly. (The Punch)
