As Nigerians file out to vote on Saturday, February 23, 2019, a group of eminent elder statesmen and woman on Thursday, addressed a press conference in Abuja, where they set an agenda for the “next president.”
At the press conference where the group’s statement was read by former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, they tasked the incoming president to stop the bleeding of the nation by setting up a broad-based government.
The elders who endorsed the statement are Gen. Dr Yakubu Gowon (Retd), Alhaji Ahmed Joda, Prof. Akin Mabogunje, Dr Christopher Kolade, Elder Shyngle Wigwe, Prof. George Obiozor, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu Deen, Prof. Jo Irukwu (SAN).
Others are Prof. Anya O. Anya, Alhaji Ahmed Mahmoud Yayale, Chief Folake Solanke (SAN), Prof. Frank Okoisor, Rev. Ladi Thompson and Chief Philip C. Asiodu.
The full text of their statement is as follows:
The Burden of the Elders at the Dawn of 2019 General Elections
On the 1St of October 1960, a brave new Nation was born symbolizing as well as signifying our collective hopes and aspirations for building a fair, just, egalitarian and prosperous society founded on our unity in diversity.
Our journey since then may have been difficult but we have made some measure of progress even if this may have been slow and incremental. The central reason for our unsteady journey is fairly obvious as no nation can take a giant leap on the scale of human progress without true stewardship represented by a leadership that is visionary, honest, open, and patriotic.
We can even admit that the steep decline in moral standards and value of human worth in Nigeria may have started many decades ago but this overwhelming plunge into extreme greed and corruption of recent years has been a heartbreaking experience to us, thus posing a clear and present danger to our children’s wellbeing and that of generations yet unborn.
It is heart-rending for elders to stand by and watch as the nation bleeds profusely and pretend that all is as well as it should be. The violent turn of expressions deepened economic hardships and increasing desperation of the national polity has to be reversed to keep hope alive.
No matter how dim the eyesight of the elders are, our ears can still hear the pitiful cry of our grand and great-grandchildren braving desert treks and other equally hazardous routes to escape the pain that Nigerian life has become. Neither are we ignorant of the sharp surge in drug abuse, prostitution, suicides and resurgence of ritual murders in the land. When you add the problems of the delta region, nefarious activities of Boko Haram, and the widespread violence arising from the grazing crisis due to pressure of increasing population on land which several Administrations have failed to deal with over the years, it becomes clear that our cherished nation is approaching a frontier it has never seen before.
This is certainly not business as usual and the trauma of the civil war we survived should be a warning flag across all spheres of leadership. As we soak in all the attendant factors including the toxic political culture of the present hour and the predatory tonality of the ongoing election processes magnified by the fact that the country is still reeling from the shock of the postponed elections, it has become imperative that we must speak up as elders.
Our first counsel to the nation as it approaches this new frontier is that INEC must be fully prepared to conduct the rescheduled elections seamlessly and efficiently in a manner that its outcome is adjudged by all to be free, fair and credible. The political party leaders, the candidates and their followers should conduct themselves with civility, decorum and restraint in both their words and deeds in the period leading up to, during and the aftermath of the elections. INEC can only achieve success if the contending parties regulate their behaviour and conduct in accordance with democratic norms and the law. We urge all participants to accept the final results announced by INEC and where parties feel aggrieved; recourse should be made to dispute resolution mechanisms prescribed by the constitution and the Electoral Act.
The next President will be immediately confronted with a set of daunting challenges and opportunities. Under our system of constitutional democracy, the Presidency is the vital nerve centre of operations. The occupant of that office will be the central figure who must engage the vivid imagination and mobilize the energies of the citizens behind large, ambitious goals that will have a transformative effect on society. Accordingly, t is incumbent upon the President to lead the charge in articulating and implementing a long term vision which would make Nigeria a very prosperous and globally competitive economy by the year 2040. Mobilization of the populace is essential and this is best achieved if broad segments of the population are represented in the exercise given that the prosperity and welfare of the Nigerian people must be at the epicentre of the visioning process. Furthermore, if Nigeria must join the ranks of the world’s leading economies by 2040, it must rely on Development Plans as the primary vehicles for delivering on the lofty goals and aspirations of the National Vision.
The complexion and character of the President’s Administration must be seen to transcend party, ethnic, regional or religious affiliations. As a father of all, he should take concrete steps to calm frayed nerves, heal the nation’s wounds, and give credence to our founding principles of unity in diversity.
Given the enormity of the problems confronting the nation, the next President should seize the opportunity of the transition period to lay the foundation for establishing a strong competent Administration by hiring talented men and women who have the depth and breadth of experience, the dedication, drive and energy, and the honesty, and patriotism to serve the country with distinction in all the key offices across the public sector and our national security establishments.
Our second counsel to the nation concerns the urgent and compelling need to address our national security crisis which is at the risk of spiraling out of control. We urge a Presidential Proclamation of a national security emergency which should result in the establishment of a broad-based coalition of highly skilled and experienced stakeholders from all walks of life to ponder deeply on this grave crisis and complement the efforts of government in bringing the problem under firm control.
We must emphasise the fact that most of our security problems are the direct by-products of our social and economic malaise which have been plaguing us for a long period of time. These issues are all interconnected and interdependent. Therefore, we take the view that the long-term resolution of our national security crisis must be seen through the broader lenses of taking bold and energetic steps to fast track the nation towards rapid economic and social progress. Such social engineering and economic
development agenda must reflect the need to rapidly diversify the underlying structure of our economy, focus heavily on the development of small and medium scale enterprises, build a modern world-class infrastructure, implement major job creation initiatives, take concerted steps to eradicate poverty, promote gender equality, and invest heavily in education and health.
As mentioned, inter alia, graft has eaten deep into the fabric of our society. We recommend that a comprehensive strategy for addressing the cankerworm of corruption should be formulated by taking deliberate and painstaking steps for eliminating the root causes of corruption while developing a more sophisticated and even-handed strategy for the investigation and prosecution of corrupt practices.
Beyond our counsels, we shall follow up with further consultations with all stakeholders on a continuing basis to pursue wise, non-violent and non-partisan interventions towards the nation of our dreams.
God willing, we are determined to honour the call we started out with as a duty to our fatherland so that the banner we will hand over to future generations would be stainless rather than coloured crimson with the blood of the innocent. Our final appeal to all good persons across all generations and divides of tribe, tongue or creed is to calm down and work for the future of our nation as we deploy everything that God has given us as elders towards a nation where no man is oppressed and peace and plenty will be
the norm. Let us all march forward knowing that no matter how dark the night may become the breaking of the dawn is a promise of God Almighty that can never fail.
The above persons subscribe to the Statement, but we intend to continue our consultations with other experienced patriotic citizens eager to see the resumption of progress to achieve a united peaceful prosperous Nigeria.
Gen. Dr Yakubu Gowon, GCFR
Alhaji Ahmed Joda
Prof. Akin Mabogunje, NNOM
Dr Christopher Kolade
Elder Shyngle Wigwe
Prof. George Obiozor.
Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu Deen
Prof. Jo Irukwu, SAN
Prof. Anya O. Anya, NNOM
Alhaji Ahmed Mahmoud Yayale
Chief Folake Solanke, SAN
Prof. Frank Okoisor
Rev. Ladi Thompson and
Chief Philip C. Asiodu
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