Recently, the media was awash with statements credited to the presidential candidates of the People Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi respectively condemning the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration for the present difficulties in the country by the way it is handling the country. One would have decided not to border to respond to their diatribe against the present administration but it is a responsibility which this group has to the citizenry to always educate them of the issues on the ground as we journeyed through the renewed hope dispensation in order to restore our nation’s pride of place in the committee of nation’s that necessitated this response.
This administration have from abinitio stated it’s commitments in uniting every citizen of the country by allowing all shades of opposing views to have a say in the country and this is because as a Democrat of many years standing our president understands that the role opposition plays in a democracy can never be overemphasized. Just like in many democracies around the globe, a democracy without an opposition would readily be classified as an autocratic rule but in our country today it is on record that the present administration has never be seen in words or in actions to have displayed a penchant for clamping down on opposition groups since its inception on May, 29, 2023.
Those were the very essence of the press conference granted to members of the press by the director general of the Confederation of All APC Supports group, Professor Mohammadu Kialani recently. He stated that opposition views in the country must not necessarily be contrived with half truth and innuendoes but must be based on the facts on ground,data and evidence. He stated that the elections are now over with the swearing in of the Victor’s and the judiciary disposing off all the election cases without hindrances,it is now expected that the healing process over the last election would have pervaded every heart with everybody now expected to play his part as Patriots to the growth and development of the country.
This President, according to him, must be commended rather than condemned for having the courage to make strong and bitter decisions for the sake of our country. Though it is highly regrettable that our nation had reached a time when it needs to make this decisions which though initially would seem not to be too popular but a necessary bitter pills that we must swallow to make our country great again. The happiness of the greater number of our citizens is the responsibility of any leader which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu restated during his state of the nation address according to Professor Kialani, but the President removal of the fuel subsidy regime must be seen truly for what it is,a bitter pill we must all swallow to make our country work again.
Professor Mohammed Kialani stated that the fact on ground suggests that prior to the election both opposition presidential candidates in Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr.Peter Obi supported the removal of petroleum subsidy regime because to them it has outlived its usefulness because of the corrupt tendencies in the industry but now that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration have demonstrated courage and done the needful for this opposition leaders to now turn around condemning the government for it is really disappointing and it is dissent taken to far which must stop for the sake of our country’s survival and democracy.
A leader according to the director general of the group is a dealer in hope and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope mantra is not a mere slogan but a renewed call to all in the country that we must be hopeful for a better country by supporting all the necessary sacrificial steps necessitated by the present realities in the country because no nation survives without citizens ready to make sacrifices for its growth and development. He stated that the former president of Russia,Mikhail Gorbachev stated the obvious during the crisis that got to do with his administration’s implementation of the Glasnost and Perestroika policies that “a pessimist is a well informed optimist” and with all assurances of a prosperous end to this hardship we are saying it aloud to all who cares that “we shall stoop to conquer”.
Finally, he advised the opposition leaders to turn a new leaf by supporting the present administration with constructive criticism that will contribute to making the country great again. He also salutes the commitment and unrelenting effort of the present administration for being focused in the implementation of its renewed hope agenda and not deterred by the unverified statements based on half truth by the opposition leaders.
Musa Wada
Abuja
Note: This article is (without any alteration to its original form) completely an opinion of the writer and does not convey or represent the thoughts of, or a shared belief with NIGERIAN TRIBUNE.
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