19th February,
2019
WE
REJECT FOREIGN LOBBYISTS AND PRODIGAL SONS
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
has called attention to the strange utterances of foreign diplomats particularly
the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU).
Some of those statements, according to the Islamic human rights group, border
on attempts to railroad Nigeria into an unpalatable situation and to interfere
in the electoral process.
In a statement reeled out early
on Tuesday 19th February, 2019, MURIC threw its weight behind the
allegations made by Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu
Buhari against certain foreign diplomats. MURIC’s press statement was signed by
its founder and director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
“We are not comfortable with the
pronouncements of foreign powers regarding the 2019 general elections in
Nigeria. There are attempts to intimidate the Nigerian government. These
statements stand in contradistinction with the status of diplomats. It is
interference, pure and simple.
“How can Western
diplomats be leaning towards an opposition party which committed the worst rape
on our economy? How can they close their eyes to the brutal pillaging of our
common wealth? Who feels it knows it. We are the citizens of this country and
we know what we have suffered under the present opposition when they were in
power.
“These people were in
power for good 16 years. Those were years of nightmare, years of ruination,
years of stealing with impunity. They ruined the economy. They sold out all
major assets and corruptly enriched themselves. They arrogated our common
patrimony to themselves. It was on this account that the Nigerian people
rejected them in 2015 by voting for President Muhammadu Buhari, a man known for
his spartan life, industry and integrity.
“President Buhari’s team
put together the rotten pieces they left behind. He carefully and meticulously
nursed the economy back to life and just when things started picking up, the
prodigal sons want to take over again. They apologized publicly a few months
ago but they want to come back to power immediately. That will not happen. Nigerians
are not fools. They should watch from the ringsides and learn how to build a
nation. We will reject them at the polls. We say no to
overambitious and unpatriotic political shenanigans.
“We call on the foreign
diplomats to ask the leading opposition the reason for tendering public
apology. Was it not for mismanaging the economy, for stealing public money and
for throwing a whole nation into misery? Have they learnt their lesson? Why are
they in a hurry to take over after just four years? It is clear from their
public pronouncements that they have learnt nothing. They sold vital assets in
their 16 years of misrule but now they are saying they want to sell the heart
and soul of Nigeria. Now, we must ask the US, UK and EU diplomats, can you ever
allow such nonsense in your own countries?
“Nigerians
see foreign diplomats hobnobbing with political figures of doubtful credibility
as people playing mere lip-service to transparency, probity, accountability and,
in particular, the anti-corruption war in Nigeria. The leading opposition
candidate has also disappointed Nigerians by leaning towards lobbyists. It is only politicians who have
credibility problems who engage the services of lobbyists. Even if lobbying may
not be a bad idea, eyebrows must be raised when lobbyists who possess dangerous
antecedence in their curriculum vitae are engaged.
“We
were shocked to hear that some of the strong members of the opposition have connections
to Paul Manafort,
a former aide to US President, Donald Trump, who has been indicted with
electoral fraud. Equally disturbing is the involvement of Riva Levinson, a
woman trained by Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, now hired by Senator Bukola
Saraki. These two figures have been fingered in the probe into the interference
in the US election by a foreign power.
“Our concern arises from the fact that the leading opposition
party (People’s Democratic Party, PDP) with which these professional lobbyists
are connected is responsible for the economic rape of Nigeria for good 16 years
during which humongous amounts of money went into private pockets. This is
clear from statements made by foreign powers in the past two weeks.
“We have juxtaposed intimidating statements made by
foreign powers with the coded messages of the leading opposition. The pledge
made by the main opposition candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to sell the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and to enrich his friends was
not made to Nigerians. We are certain that it was a coded message to foreign
powers and we take serious objection to those pledges as a people. It insults
our collective intelligence. It poses a potent threat to our economic
independence and erodes our sovereignty as a people.
“We want foreign diplomats to know that Nigerians
are greatly impressed by the achievements of the Buhari administration. Its prudent
management of lean resources has led to great achievements within a very short
period. President
Muhammadu Buhari has become the
father of modern Nigeria now that things have started working again.
“We call the attention of Nigerians to the
unpatriotic attempt by the opposition to sell Nigeria to foreign powers who
have no interest of the citizenry at heart. It is an attempt to subvert our
nascent democracy and it can only set back the hands of the clock. We therefore
call on Nigerians to roundly reject candidates who rely on dubious foreign characters.
We must show them that Nigeria is not for sale.
“Greatest Nigerian People! MURIC calls you out
to prove your real patriotism and genuine citizenship of our great nation,
Nigeria. This is not about party politics. Our nationalistic instincts must now
take the driver’s seat. It is now about Nigeria. We may not have the
sophisticated technologies of the US, UK and the EU but this country belongs to
us and we are proud of it. We have seen the momentous progress made by this
administration and we want it to continue. We must shock foreign lobbyists
presently collaborating with the corrupt opposition to return our country to
the stone age. We must stop those whose sole desire is to subvert our
democracy.
“As our parting shot, we remind the leadership
of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that Nigerians are
aware of the ongoing intrigues and manouvres. The people of Nigeria will hold him
responsible if he plays into the hands of any local or foreign manipulator.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC)
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