A group named the Coalition of Good Governance (CGG) has warned Nigerians to beware of plots against democracy and resist any attempt to subvert it.
Leader of the group, Nelson Ekujumi handed down this warning on behalf of the group at a press conference on the state of the nation held in Lagos on Tuesday, 10 September, 2024.
Ekujumi said that in recent times the group has observed troubling developments that threatens the fabric of Nigerian democracy and national security.
“We stand united today, as coalition for Good Governance to raise alarm over these threats and call on well-meaning Nigerians to remain vigilant. These attempts by certain actors to undermine democratic institutions and national security under the guise of opportunistic political maneuvering cannot be ignore. We urge Nigerians to resist these divisive tactics and remain steadfast in defending our democracy, ” the group said.
The group specifically expressed deep concern over the actions of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Joe Ajaero, regarding his invitation for questioning by the Nigerian Police Force for suspected links to alleged terrorism, cyber crime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, treasonable felony and the fleeing Briton, who is a tenant of the NLC headquarters in Abuja who has been declared wanted for the alleged treasonable felony offences of instigating and financing plots to unseat a legitimately elected democratic government by means other than through the ballot box as prescribed by law.
The group said it is not lost on it that, “Ajaero, a key politician whose party and candidate lost the presidential elections is still playing politics and abusing his office as the President of the NLC to drag the name of the organization into his personal use in an attempt to frustrate his being accountable for alleged acts that threaten our democracy and national security.”
According to the group, “the security of life and property of Nigerians is paramount and the reason d’etre of government and NLC must be admonished not to politicize such grave matter. Rather than cooperating with the Nigerian Police Force to address these allegations, Mr.Ajaero has attempted to undermine the law, a move we find reprehensible and condemnable.”
The group also acknowledged the severe difficulties faced by Nigerians, who have been forced to endure inconveniences at petrol stations and contend with the crippling effects of economic hardships.
“The scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) is a long standing and regrettable issue that has plagued the tenure of successive governments since 1976. It is a national shame that despite our abundant natural resources, particularly, crude oil, we continue to grapple with fuel shortages.
“Nigeria is blessed as the 15 largest producer of crude oil globally and the largest in Africa. Yet, due to management, corruption, and sabotage, our daily crude oil production has dwindled. From a peak of OPEC quota of 2.3 million barrels per day, we now struggle to produce between 1.3-4 million barrels per day, largely due to oil theft and pipeline vandalism, ” the group said.
CGG, which commended the current administration under President Bola Tinubu for taking bold steps to combat these issues, especially in confronting oil theft and pipeline vandalism, also showered praises on the Tinubu administration for promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited(NNPCL), operations by directing that crude oil and gas transactions are properly documented and receipt paid into the coffers of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The group said this level of probity is crucial for restoring faith in Nigeria’s oil industry, which has long been accuse of corrupt practices, just as it also applauded Tinubu’s “administration patriotic directive to NNPCL to supply oil to Dangote refinery and other local refineries even in the midst of its production challenges and upfront contractual obligations, as well as the sales of crude oil to the refinery in our local currency, the Naira.”
The group said it is being encouraged by recent developments,” particularly the progress of the Dangote refinery and the revilisation of our national refineries, which we hope will bring an end to our dependency on imported petroleum products and the drain on our scarce foreign resources.”
The group, however, called on the NNPCL to remain focus and resist any politically motivated distractions.
It also urged Dangote Refinery to disclose the actual cost of PMS production per litre at its refinery for the purpose of transparency and accountability.
