*   FG Has Solution on Almajiri North-South Exodus

* JOK

By Tony Icheku


Fears  by Abians that the proposed Abia Airport may turn out another white elephant project, has been doused by the State Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi Kalu who on Saturday declared that the project is  private sector driven  with Abia government providing support.

Kalu made the clarification during a virtual interactive session with eminent Abia media practitioners, media owners,  editors and senior journalists

The Commissioner  fielded questions on contemporary and outstanding issues on governance including exodus of Almajiri (jobless youths) from North to South Nigeria;  road Construction and several other issues.

Answering questions on the sudden exodus of Almajiri from North to South Nigeria  despite covid-19 total lockdown in some States through whose boundaries they crossed,  he pointed towards the Federal Government as having solution to the challenge,  explaining that the onus lies with the Federal Government to check the Southward migration of  the Almajiri as it had the capability and capacity to do so

"Sincerely the best solution should come through the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN that constitutionally has control over our Armed Forces", said Kalu

He maintained that  States within the South-South and South-East geo-political zones, including Abia may  want to do everything possible to enforce the inter-state movement restriction imposed by the FGN, but it is still the FGN that controls those with primary responsibility of enforcement.

"We have deployed our homeland security team, local youths and vigilante to help out but we continue to see breaches caused by same security agents under the control of FGN.

"We have mobilized our traditional rulers and village heads to activate our traditional information management system to ensure that any visitor that enters our community is spotted and immediately reported immediately. So far, we have followed up on 20 such leads.

Kalu urged civil society organisations and the Press to pressure the FGN to do the needful given that those Northern youths  (Almajiri) pass through 8-9 states with inter state boundaries presumably closed before getting to Abia