APC diaspora supports war against corruption
The chairmen of the Diaspora chapters of Nigeria’s All progressives Congress (APC) last week held an e-conference to review the state of the party and the nation on the anniversary of the pivotal election that brought the party to power exactly one year ago.
Chairmen in attendance were Philip Idaewor, APC UK; Stephen Adeayo Tella, APC Spain; Ayoola R. Lawal, APC Scandinavia; Chief Olanrewaju Balogun, APC France; Lawrence Adesola Adelekan, APC Philippines; Tony Isama, APC USA and Olalekan Ogunwede, APC Germany.
Others included Prince Hammed Adefioye, APC Republic of Ireland; Festus Ogbeide, APC South Africa; Chief Victor Bruno Omoregbe, APC Republic of Benin and Charlie O. Micheletti, APC Ghana
The conference was conveyed to coincide with and commemorate the one year anniversary of the pivotal and historic election (March 28, 2015) that brought change to the Nigerian political landscape.
A release issued after the conference said after so many years of pro-democracy struggles, with many lives lost, Nigerians thought they were being ushered into a new lease of life of functional and responsible democracy but woke up to a new nightmare of unrestrained official pilferage of the commonwealth to such an extent that the country teetered on the brink of economic collapse and faced security challenges unheard of in our national history.
The party officials thanked Nigerians for voting the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari at the 2015 general election.
The conference also thanked Nigerians for the continued support being accorded the government and called for the commitment, support and determination of all to see through the successful prosecution of the war on corruption so that our country truly changes for the better in all ramifications.
The chairmen therefore called on Nigerians to step up and help ensure that all agencies of government begin to work for and in the interest of the Nigerian people and the state at all times. Saving Nigeria from the scourge of corruption – economic and political, in all ramifications is task for all.
The release added that they “affirmed the loyalty of the Diaspora chapters to the national leadership of the party and the government led by President Muhammadu Buhari” and called for coherent linkage of government with the chapters and Nigerians abroad.
“In this regard, the conference congratulates Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa for her appointment as the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to the President on Diaspora and foreign Affairs. This is a well-rounded appointment judging from the experience and dynamism of Mrs Dabiri-Erewa. Like all other Nigerians in the diaspora, our party diaspora chapters look forward to working closely with her.”
The conference also extended congratulations to the party for the successful outcome of the recently held national caucus and national executive committee meetings. “The news report from these meetings have been very positive especially the statement regarding the adoption of President Buhari to be the candidate of the party in 2019, thus effectively stomping the divisive possibilities and instabilities that angling for the office could create in the party.
“The conference is pleased with the effort of President Buhari to kill and make corruption history in Nigeria through the various methods being presently employed in the war against this disease that has clearly destroyed the institutional and moral fibres of the Nigerian state and society.
“The conference advises, however, that all efforts of the present government will soon be reversed in the near future, if there is no robust, fully comprehensive national data management system with the capabilities for multilevel and multidimensional crosstalk. This is the only way to safeguard the institutions of state, the private sector and indeed Nigerians against fraud, and also provide robust data for functional National planning.
“The conference notes that the government has recently inaugurated a platform to address the issue of a unified national e-data. The conference therefore emphasizes that in this specific area of the national data management system, the Diaspora members of the APC, having a first-hand experience of the benefit of sound National data management, are well placed to help the government achieve a fully operational National Data management programme in Nigeria within the life span of the current government. We therefore call for urgent action to draw Diaspora expertise, contacts and commitment, and leverage same into realising this long overdue national project.
“The conference congratulates the government in convening a National Economic Council retreat and publishing the outcome of the retreat. We are pleased by this development and feel again that this is one area where the party, government and the country could benefit substantially from the leveraging capabilities of the Diaspora members of the party in driving National development,” the release said.
The conference thus concluded that party leaders should begin the active process of ideological branding and marketing of the party, as one rooted in progressivism and social democracy through people centered policies and interaction with the Nigerian people.
“This ideological plank of the party should be closely interlocked with government policies at all levels, such that the party’s manifesto becomes the mirror through which all APC governments’ policies are viewed,” the chairmen concluded.
