The President,National Movement for Positive Change (NMPC), a body primarily committed to positive change in Nigeria, Barrister Niyi Aborisade, has declared that the movement which is non-political was established to serve as check on the government, saying the way the country is being run “is not fair on the citizens”.
Aborisade stated this while delivering his welcome address during a public lecture organized by the Nigeria Movement for Positive Change (NPMC), on Thursday March 29, 2018, at LAHL B event centre, Airport Hotel, Lagos.
The lecture themed “Positive Change” was a follow-up to the one earlier done in London.
Dignitaries on the occasion include the former governor of Cross Rivers state, Donald Duke, President General, Nigerian Football Supporters Club, Dr Rafiu Ladipo, Senator Gbenga Babalola, Major General Abdulallhi Adekunle Martins among others.
According to Aborisade “It is our duty to create awareness for people to be aware of their power to bring positive change to the country. The country belongs to every citizen irrespective of their status, ethnic, religious or educational qualification.
“Some people for a long period of time has personalise the country, thinking and setting a wrong impression that they own Nigeria. Nobody owns Nigeria. We’re all joint heirs to the treasure abound in the country.
“Nigerian citizens can only live out this reality if they get proper orientation along this line. This is what NMPC as Movement is bringing on board that average Nigerian can have a say or help in determining who becomes or get what in their fatherland.
“This is what NMPC as a Movement has resolved to provide, reason why we have decided to organise enlightenment seminars across the length and breadth of the country. After the London event, here we come to Lagos. The next point of call will be the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, a major town in South South part of the country and Northern part.
“It is for real. It is time to give the country back to the owners and be part of how they will be governed. This is our mission,” Aborisade stated.
In the same vein, the former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke in his contribution said the country will become stagnant and retrogressive except both institutional and economic sectors are restructured.
Duke said the kernel restructuring is how to distribute the national cake.
He said: “We all agree that our nation needs restructuring and we all restructure our lives on a daily basis. Any individual or nation that refused to restructure will be stagnant and if you are stagnant, you will retrogress.
“That some people see restructuring as being anti-nationalists clearly explained where we are. If you engage those who are against it, they will tell you that they agree with almost everything except the issue of finances.”
Speaking on the farmers-herdsmen’s crisis, he blamed population explosion which has made it difficult for pastoralists to graze their herds of cattle.
He said Nigeria’s population had doubled but the productivity of the country is not commensurate with the population explosion.
“Unfortunately we are still behaving like nothing has changed. Between 1979 and 1983, our population was about 90m but President Shehu Shagari spent an average of $25bn every year. So in four years, he spent $100bn.
“The budget being proposed to the National Assembly today is N8.6trillion. But in dollar term, it is $23bn. If you divide 8.6trillion by N360, you will get $23bn.”
“So you have doubled in population but your budget has reduced 38 years after. If after almost 40 years, what you are spending today is less than what you spent then and your population has more than doubled, then you can understand all the crisis that we are facing today.
“Right now our nation is in a very critical place and if something is not done and urgently too we are not hust going to be a nuisance to ourselves. We we are a nuisance to the entire sub-region because Nigeria is like a dam, if that dam should burst it would flood all of west Africa. Our population is more than half of West
Afrrica and it is growing astronomically but our economic indices are not growing as fast which is the challenge we have.
“As I speak to you over 3m people have registered but it is not a political party. I am still a member of the PDP for instance and you can belong to any political party. All it is trying to do is similar to what NMPC is doing here to sensitize Nigerians to our present circumstance. Don’t get wrong, it is not a political party, it is not seeking for election, it is not even seeking registration with INEC,” he said.
