The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take urgent and necessary measures, including the adoption of the draft Constitution of the 2014 National Conference, to avert the proposed nationwide protest from August 1 to 10, 2024, being called by a “faceless group.”
The position of the Forum was contained in a statement on the state of the nation entitled “In the Multitude of Counsellors, there is safety,” signed by the Chairman, Dr Samuel Danjuma Gani, and made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
“Recently, a faceless group in the country is calling people to a nationwide protest from August 1 to 10, 2024. While the group rightly lists several demands that would enhance good governance, the protest itself should be viewed with seriousness.
“For one, the unknown organisers wish to replicate the protest that took place recently in Kenya.
“However, the situation in Kenya is different from that in Nigeria. There are too many aggrieved groups in Nigeria for anyone to toy with the idea of a national protest.
“Either the country would implode or the protesters would be massacred by overly enthusiastic security forces.
“The memory of the ENDSARS bloodshed is still fresh in our memories. As elders, we do not support any action that might lead to the loss of lives or the destruction of national assets and individual properties.
“Under the circumstances, we advocate that the government must change its approach to governance and restore hope and confidence in the people,” the statement noted.
The Forum identified four critical areas, among many others, that the Tinubu administration should focus attention on in a bid to halt the downward spiral of the country, which, if not checked, might result in an implosion in the near future.
The four critical areas, according to the statement by the Christian Elders, are the imperative of a new constitution for Nigeria; a credible fight against corruption; independence of the judiciary and restoration of judicial integrity; and averting the proposed national protest planned for August 2024.
Gani noted that the position of the Forum was arrived at during its July 2024 meeting, where it reviewed the state of Nigeria and expressed concern about the condition of the people and the country.
“Undoubtedly, the current state of Nigeria calls for concern, as well as the contribution of all well-meaning citizens, to support the government in providing solutions to the myriads of problems confronting Nigeria.
“As part of their contribution to supporting the government, the Christian Elders resolved to provide counsel to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice of the Federation,” the statement said.
Gani, in the statement, warned President Tinubu not to waste time on the task of rebooting the country, saying people are almost being driven to desperation and despondency.
He added that when people start thinking they have nothing to lose, whether they live or die, the country will be in a precarious situation.
According to him, the mere promise of the government that a new constitution would be in effect within a few months would calm a lot of frayed nerves in the country and restore hope and confidence in the people that Nigeria would not sink.
On the imperative of a new Constitution, the National Christian Elders Forum noted that at various times, and with varying degrees of intensity, many impartial and credible citizens have identified the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as a major impediment to Nigeria’s peace, progress, and prosperity.
The Forum noted that there had been a series of calls, at different forums, for Nigeria to adopt a credible constitution that would be developed by the people, adding that the authorship of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) has been a subject of controversy in the past 25 years.
It was observed that the challenge facing the government has been how to develop a new constitution, saying, however, that the task of producing a constitution is the responsibility of the ethnic nationalities.
“The National Christian Elders Forum proposes that, in view of the urgency to jump-start the economy and guarantee safety and prosperity for the citizens, the government should adopt the draft Constitution of the 2014 National Conference.
“That document could be a starting point, having been agreed upon by representatives of the various ethnic nationalities and participants from various sectors of the economy and society.
“Once it scales through the referendum, it becomes a valid constitution for “we the people.”. The beauty of this proposal is that no part of Nigeria can object since all the component parts of the country were represented at the National Conference and they unanimously approved the draft constitution.
“All it requires is validation by the people at a referendum.
“The National Christian Elders Forum urges the Tinubu Administration to give serious consideration to this counsel to avert a crisis looming over the horizon.
“Mr President, the first task of government is to instil hope and confidence in the citizens that their country will float and prosper. Presently, very few Nigerians have such confidence. The government must restore hope to the people.
“Mr. President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, we urge you to remember that power is transient.
“The positions you occupy today were held by different people yesterday, most of whom now regretfully wish they had done things differently.
“Fortunately, you can still do things right. We cannot continue to run Nigeria the way previous governments did and expect a better country. Mr. President, the streets are not smiling,” the Forum stated.
While emphasising the need to ensure a credible fight against corruption, the Christian Elders Forum decried a situation where the anti-graft agencies, including the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have become a tool to fight political opponents by the party in power.
“Undeniably, the military created a culture of corruption in Nigeria. This culture was made worse by the political class, which has erased any dividing line between the state treasury and their private purse,” Gani stated.
The statement noted that an area of increasing concern was the corruption in the Civil Service and amongst public officials, adding that if corruption is not tackled effectively at that level, no government could claim to succeed in fighting corruption.
“The most corrupt entities in Nigeria are government officials.
“The eight years of the Buhari administration rank as the most corrupt government ever witnessed in Nigeria,” the Forum stated.
According to the Forum, an effective fight against corruption in Nigeria must start with the Civil Service and the National Assembly, stressing that legislators who allocate to themselves humongous salaries and allowances for representing people who daily live in penury and poverty are the height of corruption.
“The National Christian Elders Forum advocates an independent EFCC that would be free from any political restraint in the discharge of its duties,” the statement added.
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Nigerian Tribune