Yemisi Izuora
Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, has scored Nigeria’s 20 years of democratic rule very low because of what he called poor performance of our past and present leaders.
In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Chief Onitiri who procured the historic judgment for the June,1993 presidential election to hold, regretted that despite the enormous human and material resources at the disposal of our leaders since 1999, there were little achievements by successive governments.
“It’s a great pity that despite 20 years of our uninterrupted Democracy, we have nothing to celebrate. Our leaders have not lived to expectation. Nigerians are even worse off. Our people are yet to enjoy dividends of democracy.
“Our infrastructures are getting worse. The infrastructures that are taken for granted in other developed clime like good roads, uninterrupted electricity, potable water for drinking et cetera, are yet to be at the reach of our people. Nigerians are more divided than ever before, Chief Onitiri, staunch PDP leader lamented.
He said “There is absolute failure of government to protect lives and properties to the extent that our youths now migrate to foreign land. There is kidnapping, armed robbery, assassination and other criminal activities are in the upsurge.
“Our democracy has been trial by error, as Nigerians are yet to get the right leaders they deserve. Patriotic and visionary leaders that will be responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the people need to emerge.
“Politics have been heavily monetized. People seek political power to enrich themselves, families and godfathers and not to serve the people. Nigerians now see politics as shortcut to illgotten wealth,” he noted.
According to Chief Onitiri, “To get it right, we urgently need to make politics less incentive. The emoluments being paid to our political office holders must be reduced drastically. We need to reinforce and strengthen our institutions. The three arms of government, the Executive, Legislature and the judiciary must be totally independent. Our political structure must be restructured to give access to ideas and service instead of investment.
Onitiri: “We need to go back to regional structures. Discard the 1999 constitution foisted on us by the military. Let all the states develop at their pace. We need to decentralise power at the centre. The presidential system is not working for Nigeria. The Federal Government should revisit the last constitutional conference.
The PDP chieftain remarked:”June 12,1993 election was adjudged the freest and fairest election ever conducted in Nigeria. Can we say this of 2019 elections? Twenty six years after we are yet to get our elections right. Our elections are no longer credible and transparent , nor free and fair. “Elections are now riddled with thuggery and violence with open connivance of unscrupulous INEC officials and security operatives.
“Killer Herdsmen are now on the prowl, killing and maiming innocent and helpless citizens whilst our security agencies look elsewhere. Up till now no single Fulani killer Herdsmen has been arrested and prosecuted. The killer Herdsmen should be declared Terrorist and face the full weight of the law. Besides we should adopt Electronic voting henceforth if Nigeria is to move forward, he said.
Onitiri noted that all the issues canvassed by the late Chief MKO Abiola during his elections in 1993 such as bad roads, electricity supply, education, poor infrastructures are still very much with us and even worse.
Onitiri ex-rayed the political situation in the country and concluded that our problem in Nigeria is bad leadership. Once we get a good, patriotic leader that has good vision, all our problems of insecurity, bad economy and corruption will all be solved and vanish.
Eradication of poverty which was the main issue of MKO’s campaign is still very much with us, which the government of the day must find answer to.
Sunbo Onitiri said: “Nigeria has now become the poverty capital city of the world. Over half of our population is living below abject poverty level and the Federal and state governments must as a matter of urgency be on their toes to fight the poverty and give the people succur.