1st October, 2018
INDEPENDENCE DAY MESSAGE:
2019 ELECTION: WAGE TOTAL WAR ON
CORRUPTION
Nigeria is marking its 58th independence
anniversary today, Monday 1st October, 2018. As usual, the Federal
Government (FG) has declared the day a public holiday.
In its Independence Day Message, the Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari for his many achievements
in spite of daunting challenges. In particular, the Islamic human rights organization
hailed the president for displaying incomparable maturity and unequalled statesmanship
in steering the ship of the nation.
The message which was signed by the group’s director and
founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola, identified the successful prosecution of the
war against corruption, the prudent management of the country’s scarce
resources, the technical defeat of Boko Haram insurgents, the unprecedented overcoming
of recession within one year, the tactical downsizing of the Biafra agitation, the
diversification of the economy, the aggressive provision of infrastructural
facilities across the nation like the second Niger Bridge, road and rail networks,
etc as areas of visible achievements of the president.
MURIC also cited the indiscriminate release of funds to all
states even when some governors remained irrationally hostile and erratic as
indisputable manifestation of magnanimity by the president. In particular, the executive
order directing the Nigerian Police to suspend criminal charges against the
opposition’s gubernatorial candidate, Ademola Adeleke, was another indubitable manifestation
of statesmanship.
The Islamic human rights organization reminded Nigerian
politicians that corruption is the bane of the country’s progress. It lamented
that corruption made Nigerian roads the best death traps in Africa, turned the hospitals
into public mortuaries, removed the glamour in education and nearly strangulated
the economy.
“As we prepare for the 2019 elections, therefore, all the
political parties must steer clear of corrupt politicians. The battle cry
should be ‘total war on corruption’. The Nigerian electorate must distance
themselves from stomach infrastructure politicians who will feed them for only
one day to make them hungry for four whole years.
“The onus is on civil society and the Nigerian press to
educate voters. Nigerians should be taught how to become fishermen catching
fish by themselves instead of hungry villagers waiting for crumbs from the
tables of politicians. We must make our 58 years of independence more
meaningful by setting ourselves free from political charlatans.
“Politicians who hold the whole nation to ransom for their
selfish interests; those who arrogate to themselves all the milk and honey in
the land while the jamaheer continue to suffer; those who pay themselves N29
million per month for sleeping during National Assembly (NASS) sessions while the
proletariat cannot get a dignifying minimum wage; those who delay the country’s
budget for seven months and those who deduct huge sums from the allocations of
critical areas of infrastructure to add to their phony constituency projects
are not fit to represent the Nigerian people, talk less of leading them.
“In summary, the focus
in the 2019 election should be the emergence of a new, reformed NASS. It must
be a NASS that is totally committed to the war against corruption. At both
state and national levels, Nigerians should choose tested, trusted and credible
leaders. We charge the youth to emancipate themselves from the shackles of
laziness, indolence and corruption. There is nothing to emulate in emergency politicians
and opportunists whose only credentials are F9 parallel, the flair for criminal
propensity, a nuisance value and a godfather of armed robbers.
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
No comments:
Post a Comment