Press Statement
As we come to the
end of another turbulent year, marked by growing insecurity, worsening poverty and the creeping dictatorship and intolerance in the
country, the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) wishes to express its solidarity
with the Nigerian people and commend their patience, resilience and dogged resistance
in the face of a federal government that has lost touch with the dreams and
aspirations of citizens.
We gladly observe
that even as 2013 recedes into the annals of history as one of the worst years
in Nigeria’s history, a few developments point to the fact that a new hope is
emerging on the horizon, notably the merger of opposition parties and the
growing commitment of progressives and patriotic political leaders to unite
under the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the single-minded determination
of rescuing Nigeria from a federal government that not only condones
corruption, but has elevated graft into an art form.
There is no doubt that the merger of
opposition parties today represents a major source of hope for the nation and
our people are full of expectations that our party, APC, its leadership,
elected representatives and governments will take the right step and measures
to move the country away from all the multitudes of crises, halt the current movement
towards collapse, restore the credibility of institutions of governance at all
levels and respect and recognize the value of the human person. This demands
that all political leaders in the country must be ready to make sacrifices.
We therefore wish to acknowledge and commend
our party (APC) leadership for demonstrating high resolve to set aside all
their personal positions and aspirations in order to provide the needed
leadership to unite all Nigerian progressives. As Progressive Governors, we are
proud of the achievements of our party and will continue to support our leaders
towards rescuing our dear nation, Nigeria.
Against the background of today's federal
government that steers the affairs of the nation based on convenience rather
than constitutionality, Nigerians have been reduced to helpless observers of a
presidency that is only efficient in weakening its moral authority, making it
difficult to relate with other levels and tiers of government in accordance with
the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The hard and incomprehensible reality is that
the Presidency, federal government and ruling PDP have become reckless, dishonest
and completely insensitive to minimum requirement of protecting the lives and
property of Nigerians. Government, as far as the conduct of the federal
government shows, is all about the political aspirations of functionaries of
government, notably Mr. President.
This is unfortunate and the consequence is the
increasing wave of both intra-party and wider national political crises without
any visible demonstration of capacity by the federal government and the ruling
party to manage or resolve the crises.
Given the severity and intensity of the crises
facing our dear nation, it is clear that rescuing Nigeria will have to commence
with a strong commitment to a national agenda of reconciliation in order to
resolve grievances of citizens and bring forth a clear roadmap for nation
building founded on respect for our diversities. Such a commitment should be
founded on the principles of acknowledging deep-seated anger of citizens and
recognizing that it is in the first place a product of injustices over years of
bad governance.
As a result, governments at all levels at
different times have infringed on the rights and liberties of citizens. Citizens,
have in turn, been abused and in many instances, violated. It is the view of
the PGF that reconciliation, founded on the principles of forgiveness with
governments demonstrating a strong commitment to break away from the past
culture of infringements must form the foundation of a new Nigeria.
Together with our
party leadership, we wish to reaffirm our unflinching commitment to move Nigeria
forward. The nation cannot continue to be run the way it has been since 1999;
something must give. True, the resilience of the Nigerian people has been
tested severally by the antics of a government that has continually defrauded
the people at the ballot box, continues to play politics with ethnic and
religious sentiments while proffering no solutions to tackle insecurity,
poverty and unemployment, yet, it is not the people, but this government that
must give way.
After fourteen (14) years under democracy, our
electoral system has continued to be a major source of national disappointment.
The elections in Delta and Anambra have clearly rolled back the small progress
that was recorded in Edo and Ondo states. With state of emergency in Adamawa,
Borno and Yobe and the declaration by INEC that it will not be able to conduct
elections in those states, democratic rule in the country is under threat and
all democrats must rise to the occasion and save our democracy.
Our national
economy has crashed to a level that is hardly explainable with reference to all
rational economic theories. The common scorecard shows a nation that is
efficient in mismanaging unmatched resources and wanton profligacy. Reversing
this trend is not a mission that any group can accomplish alone. It requires
the support of Nigerians. It is a difficult task, but we are confident that
with your support, we shall seize the initiative and return Nigeria to a land
where votes count, and where government will be accountable to the governed.
As Progressive Governors, we hereby restate
our commitment to make all our states models of good governance with records of
rapid human development and progress founded on the principles of social
democracy in line with provisions of our party constitution and manifesto. In
2014, we shall take all the necessary steps to roll out programmes that will
facilitate development of synergy, experience sharing and collaboration by all
progressive states.
Once more, the
Progressive Governors Forum felicitates with all Nigerians this festive season
and reiterates its commitment to the advancement of democratic rights and
freedoms while putting in place genuine programs to tackle insecurity, fight
crime, and destroy all vestiges of corruption. This would be the basis of our
programs for massive infrastructure project that would create jobs, stimulate
economic activity, reduce inequality and diminish poverty.
A Merry Christmas
to all Nigerians and a prosperous New Year!
PROGRESSIVEGOVERNORS
No comments:
Post a Comment