Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has charged Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the lawmaker representing Ideato North/South federal constituency of Imo State and 5 others of his colleagues within the Home of Representatives, to stay dedicated within the quest for reformed Nigeria that’s transparently and effectively run whereas constantly channelling their energies into enacting legislations which might be geared in direction of bettering the livelihood of the Nigerian lots.
The previous President gave the cost on Friday whereas enjoying host to the six federal lawmakers led by Hon. Ugochinyere, who can also be the chairman of the Home Committee Downstream Petroleum, on the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Different lawmakers in attendance had been: Hon Abdulmalik Danga representing Adavi/Okehi; Dr. Usman Midala (Askira-Uba/Hawul); Hon. Peter Aniekwe (Anambra East/West) and Kama Nkemkanma (Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo federal constituency).
Earlier than the assembly went right into a closed-door session Obasanjo lamented the nation’s present financial hardship, noting that Nigeria would want a “ethical rearmament” to beat the socio-economic challenges confronting it. He insisted that the nation can not transfer ahead if there are no adjustments within the methods and manners wherein governance was being administered.
He identified that the requires a single time period of workplace for the President, one-day nationwide elections, and an influence rotation between the North and the South by the lawmakers can solely work if upright leaders emerge.
He insisted that Nigeria will solely progress when upright people and good position fashions are in positions of energy, emphasising that the variety of phrases spent in workplace will solely make a distinction if the precise individuals are in management roles.
“What I find out about Nigeria is that we have to get it proper when it comes to management and the crew. The purpose is that we are able to overcome these challenges inside two and a half years.
“In one other 10 years, we have to consolidate what we’ve got achieved, and in 25 years, we will probably be there. Our downside is that we take two steps ahead and possibly two steps backwards, and that gained’t get us anyplace.
“For me, it’s not simply in regards to the system change alone; we have to rethink democracy. We have to rethink the Western Liberal Democracy mannequin and what can work for Africa that will probably be home-grown.
“Within the African system, we usually work by means of consensus. We have to be part of palms to make issues work. If we get it proper, whether or not we’ve got a single six-year time period presidency or two four-year phrases, we have to work on our mentality.
“Now we have to decarbonise our brains. Our essential downside is ourselves. We should deal with our points earlier than the size of workplace will matter.
“If the identical individuals with the identical mentality are in energy, nothing will change. Our start line is ourselves,” the previous President added.
Earlier, Ugochinyere, in his remarks, mentioned they had been in Abeokuta to check with the previous President on a variety of nationwide points and to additionally specific their solidarity with the previous President and equally study from his fountain of in depth information on growth and good governance particularly at this difficult occasions.
The lawmaker mentioned Obasanjo noticed the way forward for the nation and labored in direction of it, having been on the helm of affairs because the President between 1999 and 2007 throughout which he laid foundations for sturdy reforms that introduced progress.
He recommended the previous President for the assorted reforms applied below his administration and blamed previous governments for not consolidating them within the curiosity of Nigerians whereas hoping that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu will discover a solution to make issues work in a different way.
“If successive governments had consolidated electrical energy reforms, overseas insurance policies, civil service reforms, and digital reforms, amongst different issues, in the present day, we’d not be going through the financial problem that’s preventing us.
“If not for the inspiration you laid in 1999, issues would have been worse, and at the moment you had been doing it, most individuals didn’t see the way forward for Nigeria. We are able to see your effort in remodeling telecommunication reform within the nation. What you probably did within the civil service reforms, the institution of anti-corruption companies,” he added.
Ugochinyere knowledgeable Obasanjo that the lawmakers had been co-sponsors of Payments searching for a single time period of six years for Presidents and governors, energy rotation between the northern and southern components of the nation, and one-day elections for presidential, governorship, nationwide meeting, and homes of meeting seats, to eradicate the bandwagon results.
Additionally talking, Hon. Abdulmalik Danga (Kogi/Adavi/Okehi Federal Constituency of Kogi State) appealed to the ex-president to assist the decision for rotating energy between the North and South throughout the three senatorial districts of every state. In accordance with him, this would cut back marginalisation and douse ethnic group agitations.
“I’m suggesting that the rotation of energy between North and South will be inculcated into the structure modification in order that energy will be rotated throughout the three senatorial districts of every state. In my state, for instance, Kogi Central (the Ebira individuals), if not by divine intervention, we’ve solely had only one axis; as I converse, the western axis, the Yoruba-speaking half, has by no means had it, and we don’t know whether or not it will get to their flip. The identical factor is going on in Benue state. We’re simply pleading with you, the founding fathers, that if this may be regarded into, it will douse the agitations of a number of ethnic teams. Let or not it’s made obligatory that energy ought to rotate throughout the three senatorial districts of every state,” the lawmaker pleaded.
