By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Representatives of ethnic groups in Nigeria, civil society organisations and other professional bodies have passed a vote of no confidence on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari during a one day submit held in Lagos on August 24.
The meeting, which was facilitated by the chairman, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shetima, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Comrade Okechukwu Isiguzoro, President, Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide (YCYW), Barrister Dotun Hassan, President Ijaw Youth Council, (IYC), Comrade Timothy Igbifa and President, Itsekiri National Youth Council, (INYC), Weyinmi Agbateyinwo, scored the government low on all the human development index.
Other summit organisers who thumb-down the handling of the country are; Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights, Mr Adewale Adeoye, a civil rights advocate, Auwal Rafsanjani, foremost anti corruption crusader, Chief Debo Adeniran, activist, Agba Jalingo, another activist, Comrade Razak Olokooba, former Vice President, Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC), Comrade Isa Tijani and Spokesperson, Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Àbdul-Azeez Suleiman.
According to a communique at the end of the summit, the participants said they were alarmed by the general state of insecurity and incessant killings in the country.
They said several communities are now at the mercy of a murderous insurgency, marauding killers, bandits and kidnappers who are escalating at unacceptable proportions and gravely endangering the peace, unity and development of the country.
According to the communique, participants were: “Agitated by the mismanagement of the national economy already approaching a second recession; embarrassed that despite the claims of fighting a war against corruption, Nigeria is now more corrupt today than it was in 2015; disturbed by the mismanagement of the national economy as manifested by the reality of second recession within the space of four years with mounting debt profile; concerned that despite the ongoing war against corruption, global corruption index continues to place Nigeria in worsening scenario of corruption-riddled public and private sectors. “
The summit says the failure of the government has manifested in the wide spread misgivings; particularly regarding deep-seated divisions along ethnic lines and inter-communal distrust in the country.
According to the communique, the summit was gravely concerned by the clannish nature and approach to governance that has resulted in breading deep divisions and inter-communal distrust.
The communique reads in part. “At the end of exhaustive deliberations, the summit observes as follows: 1. INSECURITY – The summit decries the huge population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are subjected to double jeopardy in poorly managed or neglected camps across the country. The country now witnesses unprecedented incompetence in dealing with the regularity of killings and general insecurity despite the continued rise in annual defence budgets;
“i. That these killings have claimed more than 3,500 lives as at 2017 with the number of internally displaced persons rising to about 4 million from 1.5million in 2015.
“ii. That the apparent failure of the country’s entire security and law and order assets to check the situation is giving rise to widespread suspicions of government complicity;
“2. ECONOMY – It was regretted that our national economy, which is characterized by a mounting debt profile and resulting in massive youth unemployment, disabling level of poverty, and instability, has earned Nigeria the place of the poverty capital of the world. In addition, Nigeria’s ranking on the Human Development Index is one of the lowest in the world.
“DEBT PROFILE – The risk of inheriting an accumulated and accruing debt burden negotiated by government in absolute secrecy and spent without due transparency and accountability or commensurate development projects was also observed.
”CORRUPTION – The meeting also noted that despite decades of a war against corruption, Nigeria is adjudged to be more corrupt today than it was in 2015. It is disturbing that Nigeria has in the last 3 years degenerated from the 136th to the 148th place out of 180 countries surveyed for corruption perception.”
The meeting, according to the communique, also noted with regrets the systematic manipulation of electoral process and resurgence of electoral violence which limit democratic spaces and undermine the hope of majority in the sanctity of the ballot.
On the political sphere, the meeting observed the unprecedented manipulation and exploitation of the cleavages of religion, and ethnicity as well as government’s indifference to citizens’ discontent are breeding deep divisions, mutual distrust and inter-communal disharmony.
According to the meeting, there is a generational stagnation of young Nigerians within the age bracket of 20 to 65 years, who have risked their fate for too long in the hands of people of 70 years and above who have clearly run out of productive ideas.
It noted the contradiction in pegging the retirement age of civil servants at 60 while admitting people of above 70 years into critical governance positions.
Among the resolutions of the meeting are; “ 1. Jointly agreed on the formation of a non partisan, broad based national platform for all socio-cultural, labour, trade, professionals, businessmen, students and women, the intelligensia and civil society groups of the young generation of all Nigerians, in order to serve as platform of collaboration, consensus and networking amongst all the aforementioned groups, including marginalized constituencies in furtherance of the agenda of peace and national stability;
“2. To advocate and demand for the strengthening of democratic institutions to safeguard democracy and guarantee human rights;
“3. Reached a unanimous consensus on the imperative of mobilizing the young generation of Nigerians as critical stakeholders, to take control of their destiny from the grip of sit tight rulers who have rotated power amongst themselves since independence.
“a. Urged the young generation of Nigerians to insist on the emergence of a visionary and dynamic leadership of people not above age 70, which will effectively deal with the nation’s security and economic challenges and ensure good governance.
“4. To demand immediate revamp and urgent restructure of the nation’s security architecture as a way of guaranteeing security of lives and property and in particular safety and livelihoods of indigenous communities across Nigeria;
“5. Agreed to mobilize lawyers to initiate legal action to compel government to cease the accumulation of foreign debt without justifying to the nation of the necessity and purpose of the loans or accounting for the previous ones.
“6. Resolved to pursue a process of ensuring a general review of the operational electoral regulations to accommodate a paradigm shift in the nation’s leadership selection processes.
“7. To demand that Federal and State Governments should address the root causes of growing poverty and alarming unemployment rate in the country;
“8. To mobilize critical stakeholders and in particular youth into a vanguard of hope and national rebirth with the view to championing agenda of visionary and dynamic leadership that will imbue governance in the overall interest of the Nigeria and Nigerians;
“9. Concluded to call another meeting soon to set up committees on various sectors and to reach out further to all other associations in Nigeria and to Nigerians in the Diaspora.
“10. Consequently, the summit resolves to henceforth champion the cause of reawakening national consensus on peace, unity, democracy and national development under a broad-based umbrella to be known as National Alliance for Development (NADEV).”
