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Nigerians deserve a better life - Atiku
Newsdiaryonline Fri Sep 30,2011
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on elected
leaders at all levels to move away from rhetoric and
sugar-coated pronouncements to concrete action to make the lives
of the citizens better.
In his 51st Independence anniversary message to
Nigerians released by his media office in Abuja, the former Vice
President regretted that more than 50 years of independence and
13 years of current democracy, the ordinary Nigerians are still
struggling desperately to eke out a living, despite the
country’s immense natural and human endowment.
According to Atiku, social volatility, occasioned by hunger,
unemployment and despair are serious challenges to security,
which elected leaders must treat as matters of national urgency
or priority.
He said democracy is a social contract in which the voters
expect service delivery from their leaders while discharging
their own obligations to the state as citizens.
The former PDP presidential aspirant explained that the level of
poverty is inconsistent with Nigeria’s huge resources and the
huge expectations of better life that come with democratic
governance.
In what seems to be a review of the challenges currently facing
Nigeria, the former Vice President said for the economy to do
well, the burden of sacrifice for economic recovery must be
evenly shared by the leaders and the citizens.
“My heart bleeds at the picture of conspicuous consumption of
the political elites while millions of voters who pushed the
wheel of democracy continue to wallow in abject poverty. There
is no pretence that corruption is undermining the national
economy and consequently its capacity to make positive impact on
the average citizen.
“Leaders must demonstrate courage and sincerity in confronting
corruption. Half-hearted and selective fight against corruption
in the past had badly slowed down the momentum of the crusade
and the current rulers should learn a useful lesson from that,”
Atiku said.
The former Vice President noted that democracy is a vehicle for
honest and selfless service to the people. He therefore, advised
that anyone who perceives democracy as a gravy train for
self-enrichment has no business seeking elective office.
Quoting the Chinese philosopher Confucius, Atiku said “in a
country well-governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of
but, in a nation badly governed, wealth is something to be
ashamed.”
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