Senator Kabiru Gaya has advised Nigerians to engage in constructive criticism of government’s policies rather than castigating the leadership.

Gaya, who is the Vice President of the IPU, gave the advice when he addressed journalists on the sidelines of the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly on Sunday at St. Petersburg, Russia.

He admitted that Nigerians had a right to hold their leaders accountable, but it was imperative to do so with caution.

“Nigerians need to be patient with our leaders.

“When you have a leader, you pray hard for them because if you keep on castigating your leader, you will only end up frustrating them or hurrying to take bad decisions.

“So, I urge Nigerians to support the present government and President Muhammadu Buhari, make constructive criticisms and offer advice on the way forward,” he said.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Works has urged Nigerians to be patient with the present administration as it works towards entrenching good governance.

On the theme of the 137th IPU, “Promoting Cultural Pluralism and Peace through Inter-Faith and Inter-Ethnic Dialogue’’, Gaya said it was apt in view of increasing level of conflicts around the world.

He said that there could not have been a better time when people were resorting to violence in expressing their grievances.

He said that Nigeria was not insulated from the trend as there were increasing agitations in different sections of the country.

The parliamentarian, however, called for dialogue across board.

“Generally, in any governance in a country where there are crisis or people are oppressed, dialogue is the easiest and best solution.

“This is because unless people open up and express their grievances, there may be no solution and violence is never the answer to any problem.