By AWA Bamiji
Coalition for A Better Nigeria: The Journey so far. Being a speech delivered by Comrade Awa Bamiji, National Coordinator, Coalition for A Better Nigeria, Organiser of the Epetedo Anniversary, hosted by the Governments of Lagos Island and by extension, Lagos State Government, at old Epetedo Hall, Dumare Street, Lagos Island East LCDA, Lagos State, on Saturday, 11 June, 2022.
All Protocols duly observed.
The Coalition for A Better Nigeria is an Umbrella body of hundreds of Youths’ Organisations within and outside Nigeria working towards A BETTER NIGERIA.
We are so much concerned about the security situation, irregularities in our electoral process, seemingly inordinate level of corruption, alarming unemployment rate, infrastructural decay and other aspects of bad Governance in our dear Nation.
In line with our vision for a better Nigeria, we have been criticizing Government policies and actions constructively for over two decades.
In 2007, we shouted a foul play immediately after the general election results were released by the Prof Maurice Iwu (a.k.a Prof Wuruwuru) led INEC. Numerous publicity materials were used to spread our gospel then.
The subsequent Appeal Tribunal verdicts and the historic exit of our one and only Prof Wuruwuru were products of our collective struggles.
On Tuesday, January 27, 2009, we had our inaugural National Discourse on the Electoral Reform Recommendation at Rockview Hotel, 23 Road, FESTAC Town, Lagos and thereafter, the copies of the Communique were filed in the Offices of the Late President Umar Musa Yar’dua, Senator David Mark, Hon Dimeji Bankole, Chief Justice of the Federation and the Attorney General of the Federation for their due consultation and recommendation to the National Assembly’s Committee on the Electoral Reform.
As part of our resolutions, we decided to form a Vanguard with the mass media through which we could monitor the subsequent elections in Nigeria under this body, right from the voter’s registration exercise because it forms a foundation for a poor or bad electoral process.
The 25th April 2009 Ekiti State Gubernatorial Re – Run Election was the first and good experience for us. Our contribution was positively felt and reported accordingly by the media, the reward of this is the monumental enthronement of the electoral mandate of the eligible voters in the State.
In the same vein, we staged successfully, a very thick mass rally to protest the poor voter’s registration exercise in Lagos State on Monday, 24 January, 2011, it emanated from the NLC Building Yaba, moving along Ikorodu Road after our meeting with the Lagos State INEC Resident Commissioner in Yaba and terminated at the Governor’s Office, Ikeja, with full Press coverage.
Aftermath of this was extra one week the INEC later added to the initial scheduled two weeks for the shaky exercise (Attached herewith is the picture of the rally)
We equally staged a Southwest Zone mother of all rallies on Friday 6th January, 2012, at Iwo Road Interchange, Ibadan, with full Press coverage as well, to usher in a National strike and protests against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
Our Second, Third and Fourth National Discourses were held between 21 – 22 May, 2012, at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State, 28 – 29 May, 2013, at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, 10 – 11 June, 2014, at Adetiloye Hall, Ado Ekiti, respectively.
In line with our objectives, we had come to terms with the fact that Lagos State is a model economy not only for the other States of the Federation but for Nigeria at large.
Achieving A BETTER NIGERIA simply means taking LAGOS STATE as an example. The story of the State would have been otherwise today, if not for the provision of visionary leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his 8 year tenure as the Governor of the Centre of Excellence and exemplary display of continuity of his legacies by the successful administrations.
Therefore, the unique father of modern Lagos Award was bestowed on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu June 11, 2017, in memory of the 23rd Anniversary of Self Declaration as the President – Elect by the Late Bashorun MKO Abiola in June 1994.
Our 8th or Pre – Election National Discourse was held on Tuesday 12 February, 2019, at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, to endorse for the second term in Office and bestow the Architect of Modern Nigeria Award on President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
Today, you are all welcome to 11th National Discourse, “Epetedo @ 28: Remember 1993, Think 2023” to focus on the next year general election using the 1993 general election as model of study, being the freest and fairest election in Nigeria.
It gladdens my heart that we have our Chairman of occasion, the 2 term Governor of Kano State and the sitting Senator Ibrahim Shekarau in our midst among several other Dignitaries across States of the Federation among whom are our Iron Lady of Nigeria Democratic Struggles, who was incarcerated uncountable number of times during the June 12 Struggles by the military successful Juntas, Comrade Ayo Obe, the Prominent June 12 Victims, Abiodun Mustapha, Akin Orisagbemi, and various Civil Societies with the special recognition of Dr Balogun P.A, the Executive Director, Beko Ransome-kuti Centre for Constitutional Governance, and his Deputy, Akanni Iromini, which is the Hub of the Civil Societies in Nigeria. Aluta Continua!
Thank you all for your rapt attention.
Comrade Awa Bamiji is the National Coordinator of the Coalition for A Better Nigeria.
Communique
At the end of the event, the participants issued the following communique:
1) Untiring efforts of the Organiser over the years regardless of continous disappointment from the Political Gladiators, who are the real Beneficiaries of the June 12 Struggles, was applauded by the August gathering
2) All eligible voters must get registered for the procurement of their individual Permanent Voter’s Cards.
3) Manouvering, gimmicks and politicking that led to the annulment of the June 12 election are still threatening up till date but we must be resolute in defending our mandate based on the ugly experience of the June 12, 1993, election.
4) Rotational Presidency is the way to go in Nigeria, to promote unity, justice and progress or peaceful co-existence among the various ethnic Groups in Nigeria.
5) The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and all security agencies must live to their expectations and we, as electorate, are equally free to monitor the voting process with geniune evidences to show later, in case something went wrong during the process.
6) The venue of the event, old Epetedo Hall is nothing to wire home about until both the Lagos State and Federal Governments come into rescue and upgrade its ugly status to the international standard it really deserves and this should happen before the next year year’s anniversary.
7) The security architect, price control, improved economy, must be the core objectives of the next administration.
8) All entitlements of the Late President, MKO Abiola, as former President, must continously be recognized by the Federal Government, to really pass the message of Democracy Day to the immediate family for having the Head of their family and his loving Wife, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, as sacrificial Lambs for Today’s Democracy that Government functionaries are benefiting from.
9) huge attendance for this year’s event is an indication that Nigerians are really preparing for the next year’s transition of power to another President.
10) The role of Umpire played by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, during the Presidential Primaries of all the Political Parties is highly appreciated.
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