By Tony Adibe
A Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and former Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to, as a matter of urgent national importance, muster the political will to reclaim the “broken spirit of June 12, 1993, presidential election.”
This “passionate appeal” is coming as Nigerians commemorate the historic June 12, 1993, Presidential Election which was aborted by the General Ibrahim Babangida-led military dictatorship. As if telling the truth to power, Okechukwu, who is a foundation member of APC, reminded Mr President that the majority of Nigerians are currently “wallowing in abject poverty,” regardless of the immense human and material resources with which God Almighty blessed the country.
“we must first appreciate the truth that many Nigerians are left behind without dividends of democracy, wallowing in abject poverty, hunger, and deprivation,” bemoaned the politician. He spoke during an interview with reporters in Enugu in light of the commemoration of the June 12 struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.
Okechukwu said he made the “passionate appeal to all Nigerians,” albeit particularly to “Mr President who is not only a crusader of June 12 but holds the singular honour-apparatus of state power to reclaim the broken spirit of June 12 1993 presidential election.”
The former DG of VON, however, eulogised Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, recalling with nostalgia how Abiola mobilised the “uncommon one Nigerian spirit, one united family devoid of identity politics of polarisation along ethno-religious line.”
Asked his advice to President Tinubu on how best to reclaim the June 12 spirit, Okechukwu said: ”we must first appreciate the truth that many Nigerians are left behind without dividends of democracy, wallowing in abject poverty, hunger and deprivation. The grim reality is that what we have is untapped and few resources to share to our burgeoning population.”
He urged Mr President to “recapitalise our electricity chain to boost industrial production, unbundle the energy of small and medium scale enterprises, mechanise our agriculture and modernise mortgage housing scheme.” He said further that Nigerians are lucky that Tinubu’s Luckily Renewed Hope Agenda captured these critical items of economic growth.
Reminded that there is no money to execute these laudable programs, he advocated $30 billion and $10 billion loan for Electricity and Housing Funds respectively. “If I were Mr President, now that the international community bought into his neo-liberal economic programs; I will harvest the golden opportunity and borrow from them to renew the hope of Nigerians and reclaim, restore and reconnect the broken spirit of June 12. United States of America, for instance, is heavily indebted but hugely guided by high industrial capacity,” Okechukwu said.
