By Oghenejabor Ikimi

On the 54^th Independence Anniversary Celebrations come 1^st of October, 2014 we insist that Nigeria despite her great natural endowments both in mineral and human resources remains highly underdeveloped and is faced with numerous social challenges such as official corruption, unemployment, public infrastructural decay, insecurity, abject poverty and hunger amongst other ills.

We believe that Nigeria has the capacity to address and surmount her present challenges only if Nigerians themselves are ready to do so. For in the words of Buddah, “it is only when a student is ready, that the teacher will appear”. Unfortunately, Nigerians seem not to be prepared to address these challenges, talk less of surmounting them. Nigeria as a country is blessed with both natural and human resources, and is insulated from climatic calamities such as earthquakes, tremors, volcanoes e.t.c. When traversing the length and breathe of Nigeria, a curious visitor is bound to discover Nigeria as a country that is endowed with green vegetation and solid minerals apart from oil and gas that are in commercial quantities, thus Nigeria is naturally a great country with great potentials, but the people themselves have refused to be great.

We make bold to say that the solution to our challenges do not lie in the Federal Government’s present Transformation Agenda or in any Agenda under any nomenclature nor does it lie in the manifesto of any political party, but same lies in good governance and respect for human rights. If we may ask, are the Nigerian electorates prepared for good governance? Our answer is in the negative, because many of the electorates are enslaved to their stomach. The Nigerian electorates therefore need to garner the necessary will to overcome the above short coming, because once the Nigerian electorates decide that they want good governance and they go to the polls with such an unwavering mentality, great leaders would begin to emerge from the polls Nationwide in the near future. Nigeria is a great country that requires great leaders to harness her abundant natural and human resources for the benefit of her teeming population in order to surmount her present challenges. We insist that Nigeria with her abundant wealth can lead the World and not only Africa in this 21^st century, when she starts recycling great leaders from the polls.

We are not oblivious of the fact that, the United States of America led the World from the middle of last century because they produced great leaders from the polls who harnessed their natural resources through good governance for the benefit of Millions of Americans. Nigerians no doubt can do the same this century. We therefore call on Nigerians not to be deceived by self-seeking and restive politicians who are desperate for political power as they lack the intellectual capacity to pilot our Nation from her present challenges.

In the light of the foregoing, we once again call on the Nigerian electorates to shun all entreaties from corrupt politicians and embrace good governance by voting selfless, credible and visionary leaders in the 2015 general polls, so that we as a people can surmount our present challenges and lead the World, as we have the potentials to do so.

ON THE CLAIM OF MR. PRESIDENT OF A 50 PERCENT REDUCTION IN POVERTY NATIONWIDE:

Our attention have been drawn to the recent statement of President Goodluck Jonathan at the South-South People’s Democratic Party Rally in Benin city which was to the effect that poverty has reduced by 50 per cent Nationwide and we describe same as comical to say the least.

The above remarks of the President speak volume about the ever widening gap between our leaders and the governed in our present polity. This is because poverty in Nigeria has assumed a pandemic status as millions of Nigerians now live in extreme abject poverty such that the United Nations in one of her report in 2013 placed Nigeria as the fifth poorest Nation on earth with 100 million of her population living as destitute courtesy of an earth quaking level of official corruption despite being the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world.

The United Nations report above mentioned is corroborated by the volume of official corruption, massive unemployment, frightening level of public infrastructural decay, pandemic poverty and hunger, and a worsening level of security Nationwide. We therefore call on the Presidency to provide Nigerians with accurate statistics on how it came to a 50 per cent reduction in poverty Nationwide as Nigerians have refused to be deceived about Government’s neglect on their welfare.

ON THE COLLAPSED SYNAGOGUE CHURCH GUEST HOUSE BUILDING:

Our attention has also been drawn to the Synagogue Church Guest House building which recently collapsed in Lagos, and we join other notable Nigerians to call on the Federal Government to institute a probe on the subject.

The above call has become necessary owing to Pastor T.B. Joshua’s claim of sabotage in the entire Church building collapse on the one hand, while the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had dismissed the said claim of the respected clergy on sabotage, and had alleged on the other hand, structural defects as the cause of the collapse.

In the light of the above, we call for a probe on the above matter as same would throw more light on the issue and properly educate Nigerians and the entire world as to the real cause or causes of the said mayhem that have claimed over 151 lives and others are still unaccounted for. A probe on the other hand, would also earn the Federal Government and Nigeria, respect for the sanctity of lives in the eyes of the entire World.

ON THE PASSAGE OF THE CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER BILL INTO LAW BY THE NIGERIAN SENATE:

We commend the Nigerian Senate over her recent passage into Law of the Corporate Manslaughter Bill, that was originated on the floor of the Senate by the Late Senator Pius Akpo Ewherido of blessed memory and we call on the Honourable members of the House of Representatives to also pass the said Bill into Law without delay so that we can join countries like the United Kingdom that has Corporate Manslaughter Law in their statute books. A Corporate Manslaughter Act would no doubt check and punish cases of negligence traceable to Corporate Organizations that result in loss of live or lives. This would be a welcomed development as the passage of a Corporate Manslaughter Act would take care of all the lacunas in our Criminal Law as it relates to Murder traceable to Corporate Organizations including work places and Churches e.t.c.

ON THE TORTURE CLAIMS BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AGAINST THE POLICE AND THE ARMY:

Our attention have been drawn to the damning human rights report on torture by Amnesty International and we insist that despite a denial by the Federal Government and the Police hierarchy, the said report remains very apt and instructive, and we welcome the probe by the National Human Rights Commission on the said report.

ON THE NIGERIAN SENATE’S ADVISE TO THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION TO SUSPEND THE CREATION OF 34,000 NEW POLLING UNITS ACROSS THE NATION:

Our attention have been drawn to the advisory note sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Senate House Committee on INEC to suspend the creation of the new 34,000 Polling Units across the Nation, and we welcome same ahead of the 2015 general polls in the interest of peace.

Many Nigerians, mostly from the Southern part of the country had viewed as day light robbery the creation by INEC of a paltry 12,000 new Polling Units in the South ahead of the 2015 general polls while the North got 22,000 new Polling Units.

We believe that the above would help to douse tension and further half bad blood in the polity ahead of the 2015 general elections.

ON THE ADOPTION OF PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN BY PDP GOVERNORS:

Our attention have also been drawn to the recent adoption of President Goodluck Jonathan by the Governors of the People’s Democratic party (PDP) and her leadership, and we describe same as most undemocratic and we call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to order the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party to conduct a free and fair Presidential Primaries in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

The above act of adoption in place of a free and fair Presidential Primaries is not only an autocratic act, but same showcases the volume of desperation and greed for power by the Political class in our present polity.

We urge our Political leaders to borrow a leaf from the former 1^st Minister of Scotland, Mr. Alex Salmon, who after leading a failed attempt at securing independence for the Scottish Nation honourably tendered his resignation and thereby showcased himself in the words of John C. Maxwell as “a leader who knew the way, went the way and showed the way.”

The above attribute is unfortunately lacking in our present polity amongst the political leaders and we call for a rethink

ON THE LESSONS FROM THE SCOTLAND NO VOTE ON INDEPENDENCE:

Our attention has also been drawn to some lessons learnt from the Scotland’s NO VOTE on Independence, and we state that there is strength in unity. We call on Nigerians to remain united as no geo-political region in the Nigerian Federation can do without the other.

Mr. Alex Salmond, the erstwhile 1^st Minister of Scotland, had led the YES VOTE for an Independent Scotland to be carved out of the United Kingdom comprising of four Nations of England, Wales, Scotland and North Ireland, but failed as the NO VOTE won the day with over 55 percent votes and Mr. Alex Salmond in the aftermath of the above referendum was bold enough to resign. The above showcased Mr. Alex Salmond as a true leader of the Scotts on one hand and on the other hand, the Scotts showed the World that there is unity in diversity and we call on Nigerians and her Political Class to emulate the Scotts in the above regard.

Finally, we call on our political leaders to make the welfare of Nigerians their primarily responsibility as exemplified by the Government of the United Kingdom led by Mr. David Cameron.

OGHENEJABOR IKIMI, ESQ.,

(EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Centre for the vulnerable & the underprivileged (Centrep)