The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Collective efforts

  • Falae: we need collective efforts to unseat Buhari

    The National Chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae, said yesterday that the opposition needed collective efforts to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The presidential candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the 1999 general election spoke yesterday in Abeokuta after meeting ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He said: “We are having a failed government. But we need collective efforts to unseat Buhari.”

    The one-time Secretary to the Government of the Federation described Obasanjo, who defeated him in 1999, as a committed Nigerian passionate about the country’s growth and development.

    He said: “As my boss, he was committed and sincere about developing this country.”

    Obasanjo pledged to leave his door open for Falae and others seeking his advice for the growth and unity of Nigeria.

    “He said he wanted to come and see me and I said my doors were wide open,” the former president said.

    Falae was accompanied by Chief Korede Duyile, Dr. Olu Agunloye,

    Remi Olayiwola, Mr. Sina Kawonise and Ogun State SDP Chairman Kunle Majekodunmi.

    Others are Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, Chief Doyin Okupe, Chief Olayiwola Olakojo, Chief Ekundayo Opaleye, Mr. Joju Fadairo and Mr. Gboyega Isiaka.

  • Saraki urges collective efforts against recession

    Saraki urges collective efforts against recession

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has congratulated Nigerians for witnessing the New Year in spite of the hard times and called for collective efforts to end the current recession and grow the economy.
    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Senate President said the nation’s challenges are surmountable “but we need to approach them with unity of purpose, focus and single-mindedness.”
    Said he: “It is a thing of joy to celebrate the New Year in an atmosphere of peace and security. For one thing, the people of the North-East and indeed across the country are celebrating without fear of attacks from insurgents or other criminal elements.
    “This was made possible by the determination of the present administration to effectively secure the country and ensure peace – which is key for any development to be achieved.
    “I believe that working collectively in the New Year, we will be able to right the wrongs of the past and ensure renewed economic, social and political development of our dear country. This is not the time to despair as there are signs that things will get better today in the New Year.
    “We must realise that amid our economic challenge lies our greatest opportunity to diversify and be self-reliant as a nation. This we can do by strengthening the capacity of our entrepreneurs to produce, using local content and while we all decide to always buy made in Nigeria goods.
    “Even though we are not where we want to be as a nation yet, we must continue to take those steps that will eventually bring us to our envisioned destination as a prosperous and peaceful country,” he said.
    Saraki assured that the legislature and the executive would collaborate more closely to advance policies and programmes that would end the economic recession in the New Year.
    “Working together, we will fulfill the mandate of the millions of Nigerians that we represent. Success is our only option in these turbulent economic times,” he stated.

  • Recession: Why we need collective efforts, by Dogara

    Recession: Why we need collective efforts, by Dogara

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday called for collective effort in tackling Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.

    Dogara spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun at a lecture organised as part of programmes for the 75th birthday celebration of Chief Alani Bankole, father of former Speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole.

    He said that the challenges facing the nation were not novel, adding that many civilised countries had passed through similar situations.

    He said that men and women in such countries waged united and formidable wars against the challenges at such critical periods and surmounted them to attain greater heights.

    The speaker commended the federal government for the measures it had continued to take in ensuring that Nigeria came out of current recession.

    He lauded the call by the Governors’ Forum for a declaration of a state of emergency on the economic situation, adding that the National Assembly would come up with its position as soon as it reconvened.

    Dogara stressed the need for Nigerians to support the government and be united in tackling the challenges to fast-track the process of economic recovery.

    “The challenges are not novel because a lot of countries have passed through them.

    “It is always men and women of those generations that have stood up and solved the problems.

    “It is our collective responsibility to combat our challenges and I thank God that there is a rallying call from the governors for a national emergency,” he said.

    The guest lecturer, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, expressed regrets that the nation had continued to face more divisions more than a year after the 2015 elections.

    Musdapher, who bemoaned the emergence of various restive groups across the country, said that the nation could not afford the cost of another “genocidal implosion’’.

    He spoke on the theme “The question of Nigerian unity.”

    Musdapher observed that tribalism, nepotism, religious bigotry, violence and corruption had made national unity a mirage.

    He said that in spite of various mechanisms created to deal with Nigeria’s socio-political ailments, the country’s unity had continued to be threatened with negative implications for its citizens.

    The former CJN noted that it would require a modicum of unity for Nigeria to make necessary policy interventions that would turn its economy around.

    He called on Nigerians to support the federal government in its fight against the challenges facing the nation.

    Former Ogun State governor Aremo Segun Osoba praised Bankole for being consistent.

    He described him as a reliable politician, who stayed true to his political convictions as a chieftain of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) despite being unfairly treated during the build – up to the 1983 general elections.

    The celebrator, Chief Bankole said he would have celebrated his 70th birthday five years ago but abandoned the plan halfway following the prosecution of his son, Dimeji Bankole.

    He said he had to cancel plans for the celebration when his son, who just relinquished the Speakership, was arrested and prosecuted.

    He urged young politicians to practice politics of development, saying politics should not lead to hatred.

    Dignitaries at the celebration were Deputy Speaker Yusuf  Lasun; House Minority Leader Hon Oyenma Chuchu; Secretary to the State government, Taiwo Adeoluwa; Managing Director and Editor-In-Chief, Vanguard Media,  Gbenga Adefaye; ex – World Court Judge at Hague, Prince Bola ýAjibola;former Jigawa governor Sule Lamido;ýformer Minister of Sports Taoheed Adedoja, Oba of Lagos Rildwan Akinolu and Oliwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanwo among others.

  • Collective efforts needed to defeat insurgency, says Bankole

    Collective efforts needed to defeat insurgency, says Bankole

    Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, has tasked Nigerians irrespective of party affiliation and ethnicity to join hands with the Federal Government in order to put an end to insurgency in the country.

    He made this call during the inauguration of the Young African MBA (YBA), in Lagos over the weekend. The former number four citizen is the Patron of the youth organisation comprising of young Nigerians desirous of bringing about a positive change in the polity.

    Decrying the political colouration that the fight against terrorism in the country has assumed in the last few years, the former lawmaker charged all Nigerians to put aside their differences and speak with one voice against terrorism.

    He said: “No government whether controlled by the APC or PDP would be happy seeing its citizens being killed. Nigerians irrespective of their differences must cooperate with President Muhammadu and the government towards stamping out terrorism in our dear country. I find it very disheartening that some Nigerians are not speaking with one voice against terrorism in spite of the fact that thousands have been killed by these insurgents.”

    Speaking on the performance of the present administration in the last six months, Bankole noted that it was too early to make an assessment of the Buhari-led government, saying, “Whether on the economy or fight against terrorism, my take is that it is still too early to judge this government. I believe doing that would be rather unfair.”

    The former Speaker charged the youth to rededicate themselves to the task of nation building, while also calling on them to leave their comfort zones to enable them know more about the country.

    “Leaving on Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki would not afford you the opportunity to know Nigeria. I did my National Youth Service and I enjoyed that experience. You cannot know this country by studying abroad and coming back to do your national service in Lagos where you have lived all your life. For the youth, my advice is that there must be a paradigm shift in our orientation if we want to make this country one that we would all be proud of.”