In an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the ACF asked President Jonathan to tackle corruption, insecurity, poverty and unemployment, while Afenifere and Ohanaeze said the federal government should ensure the convocation of the proposed national dialogue, to move the country forward.
Through its spokesman, Mr Anthony Sani, ACF told the president to focus his budget on issues of national integration and development.
Sani said Jonathan’s administration must do everything within its power to fight corruption and develop the economy, by boosting the energy and agriculture sectors.
“We believe the PDP-led government has its campaign promises, which the budget is expected to address. It is not in the place of ACF to change the government policies, but to remind it of its promises to the electorate. This is because the real value of budget goes beyond its implementation to include how it addresses specific issues of security, challenges of poverty, of unemployment, of poverty reduction, of corruption, etc. To this end, the budget should address the problems in the education sector, because ignorance is a real disease.
“It should also address problems of health, since only healthy men and women can undertake economic activities effectively and efficiently too. Agriculture is another area needing attention, precisely because apart from food security and reduction of imports, agriculture can provide employment to our teeming population.
“Energy and power are also important sectors, which should be addressed by the budget. We will not be tired of repeating that the soundness of any budget is how it addresses specific socio-economic indices, since 100 per cent implementation of a budget does not necessarily mean improvement, especially if the budget has been directed wrongly. And that is why it is often said a few things are less pleasing to God than for an engineer to churn out wrong products,” Sani said.
On what should be the priority of government in 2014, Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo said the national confab would address the numerous problems the country is facing.
Adebanjo stated that the need to bring all the ethnic components in the country to dialogue with one another remained the root of solving the problems plaguing the country, stressing that the platform would address all the issues militating against the progress of Nigeria.
“The convocation of a national conference is at the core of the problems plaguing the country,” Adebanjo said, just as he dispelled the notion that the confab would affect the conduct of the 2015 polls.
According to him, the talk shop would help to fashion out a workable document that would assist in the management of the country and that there was the need to get it done, so that the country would stop the yearly ritual of constitutional amendment.
“The next election should be held on the basis of the new constitution. That is fundamental. We should not go into election on the basis of the current constitution,” he stated.
The secretary-general of 0hanaeze, Dr Joe Nwarogu also called on the federal government to pursue with vigour the conduct of the national conference in 2014, saying its outcome would bring about unity and progress in the country.
In an interview with our correspondent, Nwarogu suggested that all the decisions reached at the conference should be enshrined in the constitution, to sustain peace and unity in Nigeria. He said that a successful outcome of the conference would lead to the conduct of peaceful, free and credible elections in 2015.
On security and the economy, Nwarogu insisted that a successful execution of a national conference and the decisions of the conference enshrined in the constitution would deal with the prevailing insecurity in the country, as well as lead to its economic development.
Similarly, leaders of the SSPA called on the federal and state governments to improve on the security situation to make life more meaningful for Nigerians.
The SSPA chieftains Mr Ledum Mitee and Comrade Mmuen Kpagane, in separate interviews with LEADERSHIP Weekend appealed to the government to commence the implementation of the report of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) on Ogoniland in 2014.
Mitee said, “Things like the issue of security are paramount because if you achieve many things but fail to tackle the issue of insecurity, your assurance of enjoying the things becomes diminished.
“I think that is an issue and when we are talking about security, I think we should move away from thinking that everything is military approach. Also know that there is ‘soft power’ of trying to do social security; that is what complements the other one before you can get security. I think we would like to see that more in 2014, especially within the context that we are approaching an election year,” he said.
Kpagane said that apart from implementing the UNEP report on Ogoni, the government should, through the proposed national conference, return the country to a parliamentary system of government.
Source: Leadership
No comments:
Post a Comment