By Victor Ahiuma-Young
SENIOR civil servants in the country have implored President Umaru Yar’Adua to allow reasons prevail and not to commit socio-economic and political suicide by going ahead with unpopular and anti-people’s policy of full deregulation of the downstream sector of the economy.

Under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), the senior public workers also decried the worsening insecurity in the country and called on all tiers of government especially the Federal Government to live up to its constitutional responsibilities of protecting the lives and properties of the citizens.

At its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos, President of ASCSN, Comrade Olakunle Olaitan, agued that as a democratic government, the PDP led-administration should hearken to the voice of the people and discard this deregulation policy.

According to him: “We are glad that the government has had a rethink on its policy to fully deregulate the downstream sector of the economy which it earlier proposed for November 2009. We hope that the government is not merely postponing the evil day till early next year perhaps to welcome the citizens with more hardship in the New Year.

“We believe, however, that as a democratic government, this administration will hearken to the voice of the people and discard this deregulation policy,” he said.

On the issue of insecurity, he said: “The problem of security in the country has continued to feature in my speeches for some time now. This is because without adequate security, life itself will be threatened.”