Prof Osinbajo to hold town hall meetings across the country to explain government policy

VICE president Professor Yemi Osinbajo will soon begin a series of town hall meetings across the country in a renewed attempt by the government to get its message of change across to the masses.

 

Last year, President Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Osinbajo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were elected with a mandate to change Nigeria. Four key issues which they promised to deliver on were unemployment, the war against corruption, power supply and security but 10 months on, most of these problems still remain.

 

Yesterday, President Buhari's spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu, said the town hall meetings will be held to furnish Nigerians with necessary governmental information. He added that government decided to embark on such meetings because it had realised the importance of information and communication with people at the grassroots.

 

Mallam Garba added: “I know that there is a plan that the vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo, would start town hall meetings in zones. It would then be broken down to the states as the government realises that there is a need to take information to the people and there are steps that are being taken in order to ensure that is done.

 

Criticising the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for being indifferent to the federal government’s change mantra, Mallam Garba added that the agency appeared not to be clued up about the new era. Already, President Buhari has removed its director-general, although a new head is yet to be appointed.

 

“We have an agency like NOA with 773 offices nationwide and each has no fewer than five to seven staff members but you know also, sometimes democracy has its own dark side. I will say with all sincerity that NOA was a source of worry for us in government as the people and the leadership never believed in what we are doing.

 

“They never believed in change as they just folded their arms and watched us for the period of eight to nine months that they were there. I believe the new leadership would begin to formulate things for agencies like that,” Mallam Garba added.