Former military head of State and presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), General Mohammadu Buhari yesterday raised the alarm on palpable threat to the Nigerian state.
“There is, clear present and an immediate threat to national security when raw and untrained youths are unleashed on a vulnerable society. In the long run, of course, Nigeria is effectively mortgaging its future, because it has failed to train its future leaders and managers of its economy who will be expected to operate in a fiercely competitive globalizing world.” Buhari told a cheering crowd at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers at a meeting of a new movement, National Democratic Initiative [NDI].
The former Head of State stated that after billions of naira had been allegedly expended on provisions of infrastructure like water supply, power supply the present government and the one before it still have nothing to show for it.
“In the past we had the dishonor of being one of the most corrupt nations of the world and since then we have remained among the five most corrupt in the world,” he noted.
Buhari who was the chairman of the occasion also said in his key note address that in spite of the short-comings of the Nigerian state, “no one seem to care about the unemployment, high inflation rate, low industrial capacity utilization and an economy on automatic pilot without destination.”
“With our elections rigged, our legislators very often more interested in a so called constituency projects than making laws and our judiciary really afraid of its own independence. This is a polity already thrown to the dogs. Corruption is growing in great leaps and bounds. The economy is sinking while democracy is slowly being killed in its name,” Buhari noted.
He said that the leaders of the new movement are propelled by the need to urgently salvage the Nigerian nation from collapse and are left with no option than to answer the call of duty “and accept the burden of history” and initiate and give leadership to a process of extensive consultation on the way forward.
According to him the emerging coalition is hinged on the principles of federalism and multi-party liberal social democracy and “we believe in and will always promote laissez-fair economic policy that is fully grounded in state welfarism.”
He said the failings of the government have made the emergence of the movement inevitable and called all progressives in the country to support their cause.
Those present at yesterday’s meeting include former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Atahiru Bafarawa, Olorunnimbe Mamora, Prince Tony Momoh, Tonye Princewill, Ben Obi, Olu Falae, Duben Onyia, Mike Ahamba, Great Ogboru, Usman Bugaje, Buba Galadima, Tom Ikimi, Lawal Keita and Supo Soyibare among others.
In a swift reaction the PDP has said that the new movement is ill timed and fraught with negative tendencies for the growth and development of the nation.
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