Be decisive with governance, groups tell Tinubu
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to show greater commitment to addressing Nigeria’s socio-economic and political challenges.
It emphasised the need for genuine dialogue and decisive action, as the nation marked its 64th independence anniversary. In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the group expressed concern over the “unfulfilled promises made by the President for meaningful dialogue, particularly regarding his pledge for comprehensive engagement with Nigerians, including the youth.”
Rafsanjani stressed that despite these assurances, “no framework has been established for such dialogue, nor has a clear timeline been provided for the discussions promised in his Independence Day speech.
“We urge the President to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps toward meaningful dialogue with Nigerians. Citizens are seeking immediate relief from the harsh economic and social conditions they face daily under this administration. People are struggling to survive, and they need to see swift and impactful measures that improve their quality of life and security.”
He harped on the need to restore Nigeria’s international image, noting that the country’s reputation has significantly nosedived in recent years.
CISLAC underscored the importance of re-establishing the country’s standing on the global stage, where it once commanded respect.
“Nigeria’s image requires urgent restoration both nationally and internationally. We used to be a respected nation, but today, we are perceived as a hub for terrorism, corruption, and mismanagement of public resources. The government’s failure to effectively combat terrorism, rescue women and children from captivity, and tackle systemic corruption and impunity has eroded the respect we once held,” Rafsanjani said.
SIMILARLY, the Nigerian Youth Union (NYU) charged President Bola Tinubu to implement recommendations for the 2014 national conference. Its president, Chinonso Obasi, made the call yesterday at a press conference in Abuja.
Obasi, who was a delegate at the confab, put in place by former President Goodluck Jonathan, noted that some of the challenges confronting the country when the conference was convened a decade ago, still subsist today, insisting they would be addressed if the recommendations are implemented.
The NYU boss pointed out that the student loan programme of the Tinubu administration was a brainchild of the confab. His words: “The outcome of the 2014 national confab, the content of that recommendations is so rich that any government that signs to fix Nigeria can just dust that document and implement some of the decisions. But you find out that some of the recommendations are being picked without giving credit to the source.
“Just like the Nigerian students’ loan, it is a national confab recommendation. They couldn’t give credit to that source. However, the implementation is not done the way it was recommended by the confab, which recommended that the beneficiaries have a job upon graduation so that as they are working already, there will be deductions made from the loan given. But the state of the current loan is one that you’re given a loan and you will be left to go and look for a job and after two years upon graduation, that is when you begin to track. But the question is: what if you don’t have a job? How will they get back the money? And we hope that the money being given won’t be part of the national cake that will be shared without any means of recouping it?”
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