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The Action Congress (AC) has carried out a holistic assessment of the first year of the Umar Yar'Adua administration and concluded that governance has gone into a deep slumber and that democracy is in danger.
The Action Congress (AC) has carried out a holistic assessment of the first year of the Umar Yar'Adua administration and concluded that governance has gone into a deep slumber and that democracy is in danger.
'Whereas under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, there was a lot of motion without movement, now there is no motion, there is no movement. The ship of state has dropped its anchor and the helmsman has gone under the deck to hibernate," AC said in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
AC said that as the nation celebrates, democracy has never been so threatened as it is under the watch of President Yar'Adua and the PDP.
'An obsession to win elections at all cost has seen the PDP, in collusion with a spineless INEC, using all foul means to win every available poll and celebrating its so-called emasculation of the opposition. Now, the PDP has taken a bold step towards the emergence of a one-party state, which is the dream of its old and new leaders," it said.
AC said, however, that the PDP has begun to realise that it is much easier for it to rig elections after elections than to positively impact on the lives of the citizens, hence the ruling party and its leaders have become objects of derision by the same people they claim to govern.
The party said with the rising cases of insecurity, hunger, decayed infrastructure, lack of power, unemployment, violence in the Niger Delta and poor health care facilities, it is clear that the seven-point agenda enunciated by Yar'Adua was a mere gimmick to hoodwink an unsuspecting population.
According to AC, in none of the seven-point agenda has the Yar'Adua administration acquitted itself creditably.
It said: 'Yes, one year may be too short to fully assess an administration, but it provides enough time to see the direction in which the government is heading. In the past one year, Yar'Adua's administration has shown that it is headed nowhere. It is docile as it is directionless, earning the president such sobriquets as ‘Baba Go Slow' or ‘Baba Do Nothing.'
'It's so-called adherence to the rule of law - which some have celebrated - sounds shallow when put in the context of the overall situation of Nigerians. What rule of law is better than ensuring good life for the people?
'Back to the seven-point agenda, life has never been so insecure in this country, with armed bandits rampaging on the highways, waterways and in the cities, raiding banks and homes, killing and maiming hapless citizens and even the people charged with providing security, police men and women. An official source said some 2,000 police personnel have been killed in the past year alone.
'In the Niger Delta, despite the administration's promise to pay a special attention to the area, kidnappings, attack on oil facilities and general insecurity are the orders of the day. Even the militants the government is seeking to pacify have termed it a failure.
'On power and energy, the administration showed it lacks the nerve to turn things around when it backpedalled on its own promise to declare an emergence in the power sector as soon as it assumes office. Now, the nation has been plunged into total darkness, as electricity generation hits an all-time low of far below 1,000mw for a population of 140 million.
'In the meantime, the administration continues to shout itself hoarse on its dream of making Nigeria one of the top 20 economies in year 2020. Without power, this dream can only turn to a nightmare and the economy - and indeed Nigeria - will be the worse for it.
'We also make bold to say that poverty, hunger and disease have continued to ravage the land, without any sign these will abate soon.
'Unemployment, though officially at 40 per cent, has actually hit the roof as millions of our able-bodied and well-educated citizens roam the street in search of the elusive jobs. With the economy in reverse, no thanks to poor policies and the power crunch, jobs are being erased instead of being created.
'Functional and affordable education remains a mirage. Out of the one million who wrote JAMB this year, for example, less than 100,000 will be offered admission into universities. What happens to the rest of them, even if their parents are willing to pay the high fees in the private universities? There has been no clear cut policy on education, such that graduates of our tertiary institutions will be well equipped for the job market.
'Transportation remains a problem. The roads are poor, the vehicles ill-maintained, and other means of transportation remain underdeveloped.
'The health sector remains the worst hit, as the President and other government officials take flight, opting for the easy way of traveling abroad for medical treatment! What about the citizens? The government's response to a ravaging food crisis is mass importation of food! And of course the issue of land reform rarely gets any mention."
As the nation marks another 'Democracy Day," the party urged Nigerians to reflect, soberly, on what has become of the democracy they fought for with their blood and tears.