Fellow Nigerians,
We have found it necessary for us to
address the nation on what we perceive as the current state of affairs
of our country as it affects Nigerian Citizens both home and abroad and
provide much needed criticism and alternative to the policies or lack of
it that the incumbent administration have chosen to work with or not
work with as the case may be. We also plan to regularly at the end of
every month address Nigerians on the state of the nation and what we
believe should be the way forward to bring in progress and prosperity to
our people.
Today, our nation is fortunately still
standing and against all odds, the resilient spirit of Nigerians has at
more than any period in our history shown up to withstand the many
unfortunate effects of an economic recession that bites hard and harder
every day and once
again, there is relative peace both in the Niger
Delta Region and the North-East where vast amounts of lands that were
inaccessible are now accessible. As gloom continues to define the global
economy in all the continents of the world, the die-hard spirit of our
people still ensures that business and economic activity, even though in
the barest minimum do not ground to a halt. The Nigerian People
continue to show in word and in practice that ours is a country we can
be proud of and a country that can still achieve its potential and rise
to become a global power in the nearest future.
This die-hard spirit does not
necessarily overshadow the current landscape of our society. More people
continue to die of extreme hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity in
the North-East. Inflation continues to rise and shame the down-trodden
of our society where they now exchange children for food so other
members of their families can survive. Herdsmen continue to cause mayhem
and kill innocent citizens going about their farming duties in the
middle-belt while kidnapping has now turned into a full time job to the
extent that it now forms part of our daily satire in scornfully laughing
at the state of our nation. The business environment continues to lose
more stakeholders to neighbouring countries in search of green pastures
seeing that ours is no more green and forex policies continue to choke
businesses who would rather invest in our land even as state governments
that are not viable in any economic sense, still owing salaries
continue to celebrate their existence as a political entity for the
benefit of those who wield the political power in such places. Our
currency is currently the third worst performing currency in the world
next to the likes of Venezuela and in the midst of these, there is a
rising profile of violations of the fundamental human rights of citizens
all across the country both by individuals under the umbrella of
religion or ideology and the state itself under the aegis of recently
conceptualized notions that are ambiguous enough to warranty abuse –
words ranging from cyber-stalking to breach of public peace. Our people
who no longer even expect dividends of democracy in terms of development
and growth and better standards of living are now even denied the
fundamental freedoms that are guaranteed under democratic rule.
Our nation is headed for a ditch and a
U-Turn is URGENTLY NEEDED to save us from the impending doom that we are
destined for should we continue on this path.
On the economy, It is becoming clearer
and clearer by the day that the economic team headed by the Vice
President and managed by the Minister of Finance does not have the clout
and the capacity to woo investors into an economy that is technically
in a recession and that the environment is not conducive even for those
who have not decided to leave for one reason or the other. For a
turnaround in the economy, We advise that the Federal Government
immediately consider the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and invite her
representatives to the economic team of the administration. This would
not just boost the confidence of the private sector in the plans that
are being pushed forth but will ensure that support is given to the
plans and policies and a high sense of ownership will follow. This
singular act will go a long way in bringing the much needed clout and
support that the current economic team requires push forth polices that
create the enabling environment for business, ensure those policies
work, woo investors who are interested in businesses not governments and
deliver the desired results. Much more than any effect that will be
evident, the Federal Government’s economic team will then realize that
there is not much need for the unnecessary emergency powers that the
government is seeking from Parliament.
On Security, We advise that an executive
bill that relaxes the exclusivity of the Federal Government on the
Nigeria Police Force be sent to Parliament for ratification so that
individual states can set up mini-task forces that can work hand in hand
with the Nigerian Police Force to ensure security of lives and
property. All Policing is LOCAL and the same way citizens are not
empowered to secure their lives and properties from herdsmen in the
middle belt or to secure their friends from erratic criminals hiding
under the umbrella of religion to kill in the name of a deity, an
over-bloated Police Force cannot cope with securing 180 million
Nigerians in their homes and at work.
On Internally Displaced Persons in the
North East, We are aware that there are pockets of government efforts to
arrest the situation, but as is evident, neither the state government
nor the National Emergency Management Agency does NOT have the capacity
to arrest the situation that is fast becoming the scourge of our nation
and the stain on our conscience. We advise that help be sought from
citizens and the international community to come to the aid of fellow
human beings in need of humanitarian help so that what is already a
devastating and heart wrenching situation does not worsen. There is an
URGENT need to muster political will to save those who are in need and
have been displaced from their homes. Much more importantly, the future
of the children who are caught in this crisis needs to be given UTMOST
priority with immediate effect in order to curtail what might become a
generational crisis in that region.
On Agriculture, we commend the long
awaited Agricultural Promotion Policy of the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development, what is needed is immediate ACTION
and an understanding that these policy frameworks will not and cannot be
effected in isolation of all other activities of the government. There
is a need to arrest generally so that a situation where fertilizer which
sold for N3000 this time last year and currently sells for N8000 will
be curtailed.
On Power, we understand the relationship
between peace in the Niger Delta and the stability of Power generation
through gas and we hope that the current stability in the cities that
exists continues. But, we cannot continue to run our economy on HOPE.
There is the need to be able to guarantee Power Supply irrespective of
what happens in the Delta Region and as such, we are advising that the
Ministry of Power starts to consider alternative means of power
generation asides gas. The notion that it cannot be done should be
eradicated. If other countries have done this, we can too.
On Human Rights Violations, there is a
need to understand the growing sentiment amongst the people of Nigeria
by the incumbent government. Mr President’s notoriety for human rights
violations during his time as military head of state still instils some
measure of doubt about Mr President’s stand on violations of citizens’
right. A situation where events in the country point to a journey back
to these times under this administration and there is NO attempt to
either exude confidence in the belief and obedience to the rule of law
or even outright actions that show flagrant disregard of the rule of law
and these violations is NOT just dangerous, it is also unacceptable.
Freedoms guaranteed in the constitution to citizens must be upheld and
fundamental rights of citizens must not be violated. These actions and
attitude by agencies representing the Federal Government or acting on
the orders of the Presidency MUST STOP!
On Anti-Corruption, it is becoming more
and more evident that if the trend continues, our anti-graft agencies
will have become hungry lions and tigers to the average wo/man on the
streets who delve into corrupt practices preying on them with precision
and accuracy and just mere barking dogs tied to a cage to those who sit
very highly in power who can only bark and bark without the ability to
do anything to them. The many trials of those who sit highly in courts
have gone on and on forever ending in indefinite adjournment by courts
including a case against Mr President on the presentation of his
certificates. The current events in the National Assembly involving
various allegations against principal officers of the National Assembly
have been treated without rigour showing an absence of political will
and a step back from Mr President’s claims that no sacred cows will
exist. This trend also has to stop. Nobody MUST be above the law and
immune from investigations or query. The Speaker of the House of
Assembly, other alleged principal officers and Hon Jibrin Addulmumin
MUST ALL submit themselves for investigation and prosecution should
there be need.
On the Judiciary, there is an URGENT
NEED to save the face of the bar and the bench in what is fast becoming a
threat to our democracy and the stability and peace of our society. The
rate at which the judicial arm of government is deteriorating is not
encouraging and more than any branch of government, the judiciary has
what it takes to cripple our society faster than we can bounce back
from. The reforms needed in the judiciary to curtail incidences of
double judgements, corruption on the bench and abuse/misuse of judges
for individual purposes or purposes for a group of persons therefore
needs to begin immediately. It is high time this proposed reforms are
put in place for the benefit of all in our society.
Overall, as it currently stands, we have
so much work to do to ensure that we do not sleepwalk into the disaster
that we are already marching towards. In another month from now, we
would be celebrating independence from our colonial masters for more
than 50 years, If we are still not able to confidently boast that we are
on a path to achieving the so great a potential that was seen and
testified to at independence both by local and international observers,
then our existence as a people and as a united country will be put to
question.
We urge all citizens of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria both home and abroad to continue to support the
efforts of the government to make our lives better, abiding by the laws
of the land, paying our taxes and dues to the government, commending
efforts and encouraging results and condemning all condemnable actions
in exercise of our office of the citizen which is the highest office in
the land. Though the economic recession continues to bite us, it is our
hope and prayer that the tide would turn sooner rather than later for
the benefit of us all.
May God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Signed (ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL)
Jude ‘FERANMI
National Youth Leader, KOWA PARTY
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