The Nigeria Democratic Liberty Forum (NDLF) in New York has called on Nigerians to rise up to take back their country from the shackles of heartless political opportunists who have turned Nigeria into a huge joke.
The Nigeria Democratic Liberty Forum (NDLF) in New York has called on Nigerians to rise up to take back their country from the shackles of heartless political opportunists who have turned Nigeria into a huge joke.
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In a statement announcing a 53rd Independence Day “Dysfunctional State Of Nigeria Protest Rally,” the group expressed regret that in 53years of the country’s so-called independence, Nigerians have watched the gradual descent of their beloved country into a failed state and despairing citizenry while the leaders indulge in wide scale stealing.
It described the purpose of the rally as being to highlight the dysfunctional state of Nigeria, the plight of the people, and the presence of profligate public officials who attend Independence Day parades in foreign countries.
“Clearly, Nigeria is drifting into a precipice with no one in charge” the statement said. “There is wide spread corruption and fraudulent practices among those in power and their cronies as accentuated by the blatant, massive stealing termed "oil subsidies" with the charade of investigations and presidential review panels that were subterfuge by a government enmeshed in a grand betrayal of public trust.”
Noting that the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan calls the malaise of Nigerian corruption a problem of "perception," NDLF counseled him to go outside the Aso Rock bubble and see the effects of corruption in concrete terms: decayed infrastructure, roads, bridges, stadia and airports, a parody of a health sector of any serious country, public schools on extinction, huge amount spent on power and refineries without results, a health sector that caters to the dead rather than the living, the federal government's inability to fulfill its financial obligations to other levels of government, contracting the protection of the country's coastal waters to his proxy to the tune of over #10billion annually while the Nigeria Navy is in a decrepit state etc.”
It further stated that Nigerians are heartbroken to watch the inability of government to discharge one of its core functions: protection of life and property of citizens, with Boko Haram unleashing their brutality at will while the government is several steps behind.
“Also, kidnapping of citizens for ransom has become a multi-million Naira industry absorbing unemployed youths while security agencies are unable to stem the tide, and families of victims left to pay for the release of their loved ones.
“Currently, Nigerian universities are shut due to the perennial ASUU strike while Resident Doctors have given notice to down tools.”
The rally, scheduled for 11a.m, will start at 54th Street on 2nd Avenue and proceed 10 blocks south to 44th Street on 2nd Avenue, known to Nigerian pro-democracy groups as Kudirat Abiola Corner. The corner also houses Nigeria House.
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