Pro-Democracy Group Charges Nigerians On Nation Building

A pro-democracy group, Peoples Movement for a New Nigeria (PMNN), has said that sovereignty belongs to the people and as such they should get more involved in the nation’s affairs.

At a recent meeting in Lagos,  the movement’s convener, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, said the group was set to impress on Nigerians the need to perform their civic obligations and duties.

He said that the movement would compel the people, using legitimate measures, to come together and discuss the nation’s growth.

“We want to reassure the people that it is their duty to convene because sovereignty resides with them to put Nigeria on a proper course,’’ he said.

Ndu said that it was the duty of the citizens to sit down and draw up a new constitution on how they would want to be governed.

He added that a “masses-consented constitution“ was required to govern the society.

He said that Nigeria was facing serious nation-building challenges, adding that there was the need to make governance more participatory.

“I want the people to bring about a true democracy in Nigeria; a Nigeria that will be so harmoniously run to meet the rest of Africa in the quest for continental integration,’’ he said.

On her part, the chairman of the meeting, Alhaja Ganiat Fawehinmi, called for the convocation of a national conference.

“It is a must that this national conference must hold.

“I call on every Nigerian to continue the fight because no matter the amount of teargas that will enter my eyes, I will not stop until it comes to fruition,“ she said.

According to her, the 1999 Constitution did not reflect the wishes and aspirations of the people.

She said that the constitution was a document given to Nigeria by the military and as such did not enjoy the inputs of the people.

She, however, urged well meaning Nigerians to educate the masses on the potential benefits of the proposed national conference.

“There is the need to debunk the view that a national conference will divide the nation as some people believe,“ she said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Chairman, National Conscience Party (NCP), Mr Tunde Ogunbiade,  said that any action that would bring about desirable changes in Nigeria was welcomed.

“Any process geared toward bringing all the ethnic nationalities together is what the people want.

“The problems of Nigeria are enormous. The average Nigerian everyday thinks of how to put food on his or her table and how their children will go to school and be employed.

“These are issues that need to be tackled at a roundtable,’’ he said.

The Tide’s source reports that the meeting was attended by various political party leaders, interest groups and some human rights groups.