Former Head of State, Gen. Muh
The Congress for Progressive Change presidential aspirant, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has appealed to the National Assembly members to accept any move to slash their controversial jumbo salaries and allowances.
Buhari, who also described the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by most Peoples Democratic Party governors as ‘a boardroom affair,’ said the last 12 years of democratic rule had been terrible for Nigerians.
He spoke at a ceremony where a factional National Chairman of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, Mr. Larry Esin, was inducted into the CPC in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday.
Buhari, who is also a former head of state, lamented that there was nothing to show for the huge revenue that had accrued to the federation since 1998.
He said, “We have to appeal to our lawmakers to accept less for the sake of the country. I believe our people have suffered enough and they must be prepared for a change. We have to get the issue of power right. There is little we can do without constant power supply.
“The last 12 years have been terrible for most Nigerians. There has been enough revenue coming into government but what is on the ground is nothing to write home about.
“Now this is the business of the CPC, bringing awareness to the people and giving our programmes to the people on why there is need for a change of leadership.
“We are asking Nigerians to do what Kano State did in 2003 and what Bauchi as well as Lagos states did in 2007. The people in these states came out en-mass and ensured that their votes were counted.”
Buhari expressed worry that successive administrations had mismanaged the resources of the country due to corruption and other vices.
He stressed the need for the Federal Government to deliver on its electoral promises to the people.
Buhari expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Prof. Attahiru Jega, saying he (Jega) had distinguished himself with some of his policies.
Describing INEC’s programmes as ‘terrible’, the former military leader added that he believed that INEC, under Jega, would surprise Nigerians.
He said, “INEC programme is a terrible programme. We know what happened to us since 2003 to date. There are signs that the present leadership of INEC will surprise Nigerians by conducting free, fair and credible elections in 2011.
“What we are saying is that we don’t want a lawless institution in this country and INEC has done well in that direction. That is why we are persuading Nigerians to accept the CPC in order to bring the needed change to the country.”
Esin’s induction has laid to rest the rumour that he would contest the Akwa Ibom State governorship election in 2011.
Esin described employment, security, investment climate and new opportunities as fundamental entitlements of the citizenry which they had been denied by the administration of Governor Godswill Akpabio in the state.
He said, “I have criss-crossed many political turfs and waded through dire-political straits to finally arrive here. I can say first-hand that those institutions hold no clear or ideological commitments to furthering our nation’s democracy.
“Some of them, as you are aware, are behemoths which are found to be apparently marred by many undemocratic characterisations.
“It is needless to however, reassert that those institutions hold no means or possess a coherent blueprint of freeing the people from the massive abuse that they increasingly foist on us every single day of their continuous dominance of the political space.”
Esin added that these ‘corrupt and insensitive institutions’ which CPC seeks to weed out in order to proffer solutions to the problems of the country dominated the political space.
Source:Pounch
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