SPEECH DELIVERED BY DR YUNUSA TANKO AT THE FORMAL SUBMISSION OF THE NOMINATION FORM OF THE 2015 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE NATIONAL CONSCIENCE PARTY CHIEF ENGR M. ONOVO
Fellow comrades, I wish to welcome you to this special day of rewriting the history of the opposition in Nigeria. We have made history, we are making history and we shall make history. Permit me to observe the existing protocol.
This event is so dear to us as a party because, we have a formidable force to wrestle power from the hands of those who have stagnated our common growth for decades. Its dear to us because, the candidate we have is the one to beat. Its dear to us because, Nigerians will yet have another opportunity to witness deliberate poverty emancipation. Its dear to us because, our children who have heard of the proverbial “old good days” will be in better positions to say “present good days”
The National Conscience Party has remained resolute in the 10 care program/manifesto which is geared towards total “Abolition of Poverty” which is our slogan.
The party believes that governance means being with the people, knowing their pains, abolishing their poverty and solving their problems. The NCP will practically demonstrate how governance should be for the people hence our slogan include
NCP………….. for the people
NCP ……………the caring party
NCP…………….Abolition of poverty
The experience of the ordinary people since May 1999 when the conventional politicians took over the reign of power from the military has shown that nothing fundamental has changed. Governance has continued to be for the interest of politicians as opposed to being for the people. Our people fought against military dictatorship not because they hated the military uniform but because they strove to enjoy political freedom and economic comfort, unfortunately, they have not enjoyed either
The crisis of the Nigerian economy is rooted in the development strategy adopted by successive Nigerian government under the influence of powerful foreign countries, their international companies
We are in a country where poverty is meant to be an alien, but has been bedeviled with humanly imposed poverty. A country where averagely 70% of its citizenry are living below the standard poverty line is facing an emergency situation. The NCP if given the opportunity by the voters will go on an aggressive employment drive through training and retraining of our citizens making sure that our youths are employable.
Agriculture: It’s a well known fact that agriculture has not been given its rightful place considering the vast arable land we are graciously blessed by God. We shall ensure that 10% of our people can feed the entire nation through agriculture and creating a chain of other related jobs. Our government will ensure that our economy is genuinely diversified and export based through our farm produce and the available mineral resources. The NCP shall create a National Research and Development (R&D) Center for employment generation
HEALTH: The well being of a nation is critical. We shall ensure that the health sector is properly managed to reduce mortality rate. Pharmaceutical research institutes will be empowered to develop drugs. More health centers will be built and more health workers trained to ensure that we have a healthy nation. It’s a known fact that, a large chunk of our doctors are lost to other nations where favourable conditions of service are available and the rules of engagement are respected. This is an ugly trend and shall be reversed.
HOUSING: Comfortable housing means a comfortable workforce and by extension a high productivity. We shall wipe out the squatter syndrome that has existed for years. Our citizens must be treated with dignity in terms of comfortable and affordable housing. In this light, we hereby state that we are resolute on the provision of housing for every strata of the Nigerian society if we are given the opportunity to serve the nation. We shall make it a policy that, before houses are publicly built, there shall be provision for power, pipe borne water, health facilities and telecommunication facilities.
Education: A literate nation is a liberated nation. Our best brains are in other climes seeking greener pastures due to poor conditions of service, non payment of salaries, legitimate strikes, and the insensitivity of government to the plight of the sector.
Girl child education is key. Its natural that men leave the home front for women to manage and if the girl (would-be mother) is neglected educationally, then we should expect that, we will have poorly trained youths and by extension the social vices that we are experiencing may double.
The research units of all our tertiary institutions shall be properly and adequately funded. We shall encourage the automatic employment of the best brains in both our secondary and tertiary institutions.
Water: it has become a norm in the present day Nigerian society that people have resigned to providing their water requirements for their families. This is unacceptable. We shall aggressively utilize our water resources to promote hygienic life style. This is to avert the many water-borne diseases ravaging our communities. We shall go into the construction of dams for both hydro power generation and irrigation facilities
Electricity: For every goal of industrialization to be achieved, stable power generation is a sine qua non. The high cost of doing business in Nigeria is as a result of poor electricity supply and as a consequence, the attendant constant closing down of companies as witnessed in the textile industry. We shall explore all the sources of power like hydro, geo thermal, solar, wind, nuclear, waste conversion, tidal waves, gas and many more to generate power having in mind the locational abundance regionally.
Security: The daily insecurity of our people calls for concern. We shall ensure that going forward, Nigerians will sleep with their two eyes closed. There shall be massive retraining and recruitment of security personnel to protect life and property of our people. The territorial integrity of our borders will be secured by a well motivated military.
Fellow comrades, its easy to achieve the above mentioned programs of the NCP if voted into power. We are highly privileged in the choice of our candidate who has a great wealth of experience. He has over 23yrs years of experience in the engineering sector both in the USA, Europe and Nigeria and also he was trained both home and abroad.
Ladies and gentlemen, please permit me to introduce to you, the Presidential candidate of the NCP Chief Engr M Onovo.
NATIONAL CONSCIENCE PARTY
ONOVO PRESIDENCY CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION (OPCO)
CHANGE NIGERIA NOW: CAMPAIGN SPEECH OF CHIEF (ENGR.) MARTIN ONOVO, MNSE, FInstTA; PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, NATIONAL CONSCIENCE PARTY (NCP).
Protocols:
National Conscience Party! – Abolition of Poverty!!
My Compatriots, we thank you for accepting our invitation to this turning point in Nigerian history. We are here to announce to all our countrymen our intention to win the 2015 Presidential Elections on the platform of the National Conscience Party. Our move is consequent upon our conviction that CHANGE is necessary in Nigeria now.
The dysfunction of almost all sectors in Nigeria under the current class of political rulers is very clear to all. With uncontrolled Corruption, Unemployment, Insecurity, Bad roads, poor Healthcare, low life expectancy, weak Education, flawed Elections, declining national Productivity, mass Poverty and epileptic Power, it has been a very sad story since 1999. This is why we propose CHANGE in Nigeria now. The general elections present a good opportunity for democratic CHANGE.
Currently, published reports indicate that, Nigeria has the lowest public power per capita in Africa. Power generation has remained just over 3,000 MW since 1999 even after we have spent ~$51Billion on power, since then. South African per capita power is about 60 times Nigerian per capita power. The 2013 WHO report shows life expectancy in Nigeria to be about 49 years for men, one of the lowest in the whole world. ‘Enough is Enough’.
Nigeria can CHANGE this 2015. From wrong to Right; insecurity to Security; unemployment to full Employment; evil to Good; mass deceit to Veracity; indiscipline to Discipline; under-development to Development; darkness to Light; abuse of power to Service; violence to Peace, hypocrisy to good Example; injustice to Justice; corruption to Integrity. This is the CHANGE we propose and wish to announce today.
The most critical and first step to achieve this CHANGE is to CHANGE the current political rulers that led us to this national predicament. The coming general elections present the appropriate opportunities for us to effect this CHANGE. To drive the CHANGE, Nigeria may need a Young, Strong, Articulate and Ethical, world-class engineering and management Professional as President.
The 10-care program of our National Conscience Party will ensure the ‘Abolition of Poverty’. Our ‘Accelerated Development Agenda’ outlines the strategies to achieve these. Waste and Corruption can be controlled.
Our NCP ’10-Care Programme’ includes: Employment, Food, Health, Housing, Education, Water, Electricity, Transportation, Telecommunications and Security Care.
In addition, the electorate must see the need for good governance and elect younger, stronger, more professional and ethical candidates to serve Nigeria better.
• Our NCP government will reduce fuel price by improved domestic crude oil refining.
• We will increase minimum wage by reducing maximum wage, while maintaining the total wage bill.
• We will use about $9B to double power generation, transmission and distribution, in two and half years.
A proper evaluation of candidates based on Vision, Vigour, Integrity, Competence and national Acceptability, will reveal the best candidate.
We do not need an old, frail and sectional candidate or a clueless, corrupt, weak and ineffective candidate. A new breed, world-class engineering and management professional may be better to address our security problems and infrastructural inadequacies.
The National Conscience Party is distinct as it is the oldest party and it was founded by the late colossus, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, SAM, in 1994, out of the popular struggles we waged against, abuse of power, injustice and lawlessness. Our commitment to the principles of Integrity, Justice and development, clearly make us distinct.
We will lead by example.
In security, we will improve Intelligence, Surveillance, Response Time and Capacity. We will restore the pride and the effectiveness of our armed forces. We will robustly confront and expel Boko Haram from our territory if they do not surrender after a stern warning. We will correct the social weaknesses that result from bad governance that led to the Boko Haram insurgency and increased crime rate all over Nigeria.
The Police will be made more professional and the NSCDC will be motivated, trained and equipped for improved performance.
We know and hear of unimaginable corruption and ineffectiveness. We hear of $20B missing oil revenue, we hear of one of the highest ‘Road fatalities per year’ in the world, we hear of crude oil theft, we know of the kidnapped Chibok girls, we know of subsidy fraud, we hear of six legislators suspending over 20 of their colleagues, we know of our Governors and Ministers going abroad for medical care, we know of our ~70% poverty rate (despite our national wealth), we know of our national debt and looming debt crisis, etc.
We know we can do better with good governance. That is what we in the National Conscience Party (NCP) promise our Nigerian people. I accept to lead Nigeria with your support to a new dawn if elected President in 2015.
God bless NCP! God bless Nigeria!!
______________________________
Chief [Engr.] Martin Onovo, MS [Houston], MNSE, FInstTA.
Presidential Candidate, National Conscience Party, NCP.
17TH December, 2014.
