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Kenechukwu Nwadinobi is the National coordinator of Atiku Change The Change Group. In this interview with our correspondent, he said the mission of his group is to make sure that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar picks the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and become the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2019.
Excerpts:
What is the mission of your organization?
Our number one mission is to ensure that Atiku Abubakar picks the presidential ticket of the PDP and goes ahead to win the presidential election. Secondly, our mission also is to see that Nigeria is restructured and restored for productive governance and prospective progress through participatory democracy where everyone, tribe and region are fully involved in policy formation, proper planning, execution and implementation of government policies and development. This we plan to achieve by being the watch dog and constructive critics of the Atiku proposed government come 2019. Our mission also is to ensure that we change the way Nigerians practice politics and democracy, our culture of politics is very poor and unproductive, a situation where citizens seeks for money and handouts before they can fully participate in politics that will eventually decide their collective destiny is really bad and unfortunate.
But do share the view that Atiku is corrupt?
No, not at all, but I will start by being a correct Nigerian who answers question with another question, I will ask, who is not corrupt in Nigerian politics? Atiku Abubakar may not be as corrupt as Obasanjo and some other persons tried to paint him, he worked as custom officer for 20 years and retired as deputy controller General of custom. Atiku Abubakar while in service took a loan to start a housing project which he finished in due time and sold it, made some profit and continued until he was able to establish big in estate development. He later went into farming also, made some fortune from it also. Atiku served and retired from customs without having any record of wrongdoing or corruption against him.
Stating the fact as it is, Atiku Abubakar’s fortune became widely known when he met with Yaradua senior, who as we all know was a General in Nigerian army. One can arguably state that the system made Atiku Abubakar who he is today, just like the system also made the likes of Dangote, Adenuga and co. The Nigerian system is structured in such a way that, if you can get across to a military General and close to power, you will have unrestricted access to endless opportunities. This system as far as I understand is still in play and have not been considered unconstitutional and illegal. Before 1999 PDP’s election, Atiku Abubakar was already made. Atiku Abubakar bankrolled the 1999 election that brought him and Obj to power. Atiku Abubakar by Gods grace and favour became the Vice President after the 1999 election victory of the PDP in a joint ticket with Obj.
Constitutionally, vice president is not empowered to award or to sign contracts, Atiku Abubakar as the VP to Obasanjo a military General retired, never awarded or signed any contract. As a vice president, you are only allowed to undertake responsibilities assigned to you by your boss the President. Going by the spirit and letters of the constitution and by the statement made by Obasanjo, that Atiku is corrupt, then means that he Obasanjo assigned the duty of corruption to Atiku and that Atiku looted for Obasanjo. Nigerians must learn to always ask questions and demand answers from their leaders. If Atiku is corrupt, EFCC should better stand up and do the constitutional job they are being paid for with tax payer’s money.
What are the chances of Atiku becoming the next President of Nigeria considering the oppositions against him?
Alh Atiku Abubakar has the best chance of his political career facing him right away. He is presently the most experience, both political, administratively and otherwise, he has been an astute administrator, a team player, a bridge builder, a technocrat and a peace maker, and as it stands today Nigeria needs a leader that can unite the so divided and disjointed nation, Nigeria also is in dear need of employment and job opportunities and all these Alh. Atiku, based on his past antecedents, is bringing on board. Atiku also is a crusader of restructuring, so his chances are very high.
What do think Nigeria needs at the moment considering the numerous challenges facing the country?
Yes, Nigeria is presently in precarious situation and in dire need of an experience leader with the right mindset and compassion needed to reorganise and reposition the nation back on the right track. Atiku Abubakar as a detribalized Nigeria who is married to a South westerner as his first wife and love, South easterner as his Fourth wife and a great friend of the South South, Atiku has the bridge of unity already built around him. He also has vast experience in the area of job creation and employment and this Nigerians are in dear need of. Once Nigerians can get a good and decent job, over 85% of our problem as a nation will be solved and with restructuring also we will be good to go as a nation.
What is your advise to the electorates?
My advice to the electorate is that, they should ensure that come 2019, they elect the best candidate who has both in the past and present shown clear qualities of good leadership based on verifiable stewardship and antecedents in the vital areas of our needs as a nation and as a people. They must dissuade their minds from tribal sentiments and religion, but concentrate on clear issues of pure governance and unity of the nation.
What is the spread of your organization?
My organization, The Atiku Change The Change Group have put in a lot, we have a solid structure nationwide with chapters in the diaspora also. In Nigeria we have a well cut out structure that has a leader, a national coordinator, six regional coordinators, state coordinators in the 36 states of the federal and a chairperson overseeing the Fct, Abuja chapter. Coordinators in all the 774 LGA’s, and coordinators at the wards and unit levels across board. We have over 1.8 million members presently across the nation with their pvc’s. We are presently building a data base for all our members. We are also mobilizing our members to embank on aggressive campaign using the one to one, one to ten method.
What stands Atiku Out as the best candidate?
Atiku Abubakar has great pedigree, a man with tested leadership and administrative experience, a bridge builder and unifying factor, a technocrat, a great philanthropist and developer, an industrialist per excellent and a very experienced politician who has made a lot of friends across board. Atiku Abubakar with an outstanding successes in so many fields of endeavours and with industries and businesses he groomed from the scratch up to international standard will definitely tmanage and reposition the country to a great and enviable height if given the opportunity. Atiku Abubakar has also demonstrated practically that he has what it takes to unite the country, haven married from the Southwest, Southeast and the North and haven been able to successfully managed his family with so much harmony, unity and love, there is no doubt that he will do even better with Nigeria.
What is your take about the present government and the state of the nation?
My take about the present government is nothing but disappointment. The present government came into power with very high expectation and overwhelming supports and love from the masses. The citizens were filled with so much hope and so much enthusiasm that the Change has finally come, even with the slogan of Change, with which the present government rode into power. But after 3years and moving into the very last year of the life span of this present government, it is very obvious that nothing meaningful has change for good, rather things have gone terrible bad, with the lives and properties of the citizens no longer secured, the economy of the nation has gone from bad to worst.
Right now as we speak, Nigeria is now the world capital of poverty, and very poor people overtaking India that has over 1.3billion population. Endless and meaningless killings everywhere with no single sign of abetting, rather it is increasing and moving up. Our corruption rating has also increased instead of dropping down, it has rather gone up. We are presently noticing far more executive recklessness and abuse of office and power. The fundamental and constitutional rights of the citizens are no longer guaranteed under the present government, abuse of citizens right and court order is now the hallmark of the present government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.
The way forward
I think the way forward is to completely Change this Change and send the present government parking come 2019. The citizens should wake up from their slumber and take complete ownership of the system and process of governance starting from the party level to the election and formation of government.
Our political culture as citizens is too poor and backward, the citizens must understand that no politician will freely give them their entitlement if they fail to fully participate and strongly demand for their rightful place in the common wealth of the nation. Every citizen is a stakeholder in the nation, and so we must collectively come together to fully participate in the process of deciding who govern us, from the grassroot to the top. Moving into 2019, we must focus so much on our legislators across board, the states and national houses of assembles, we must ensure that those that makes laws for us are not only qualified but are also credible.
We must also elect a presidential candidate that is independent minded and courageous enough to restructure and restore back the nation to its pride of place as truly the living giant of Africa and not the dead giant of Africa, and the man with the requisite knowledge and qualities is His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
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