Some members of civil society organisations and political groups, on Tuesday, took over major streets in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in solidarity with the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The groups in their thousands said they were out to pass a vote of no confidence on the President Buhari-led administration.
The rally which was organized by Truth and Justice Movement of Nigeria and other political organization was aimed at sensitizing the Nigerian populace on the achievements of the present administration.
Addressing journalists on the rally, the convener, Johnson Ondoma said the march was expected to demonstrate to President Buhari that having fulfilled his promises to reinvent Nigeria among the comity of nations, having defeated terrorism and corruption on our national life, the people feel there is no better way to express it than to come out en mass .
Ondoma said: “The rally is important because as commoners, we express ourselves through public actions and not politicians and contractors who prefer to discuss governance in the state house and lobbies of hotels.”
He said despite repeated attempt to portray the Buhari administration of non performance, Nigerians are aware that the present administration in the last two years has achieved far better than it’s predecessor in areas of anti corruption, infrastructure and security.
Citing the $1 billion EuroBond which was oversubscribed as the beginning of good things to come, Ondoma said individuals who are sincere will acknowledge the investment in infrastructure that is now bringing improvement to roads and other critical national assets.
“Unlike in the past when the money for these road contacts were usually shared and made to circulate round, the funds released are now actually going into getting the jobs done.
“If people are not getting slush funds passed down to them it means they have to review their personal economic activities within the reality of an anti-corruption era.
“There have also been several social security programmes being implemented by the government to ensure that economically disadvantaged people are not left to weather the difficulties they are facing alone. This has never happened before and it is something we should be objective enough to commend.”
He also said President Buhari’s anti-corruption fight has exposed big thieves among the populace.
He added that Nigerians have recently been inundated by stories, most of which turned out to be fake news, about the health and well-being of President Buhari.
“$9.8 million was discovered in a safe at the house of a former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Andrew Yakubu, which he declared as gifts kept as housekeeping change. A $37.5 million naira property belonging to Diezani Alison-Madueke was uncovered in Banana Island, Lagos. Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed revealed that $151 million was recovered in stolen funds. The list goes on,” he said.
“Dear compatriots, please tell me what economy can survive with this magnitude of theft and not undergo depression? By now one should even be worried if the Americans still have dollars left to spend given the way the kleptomaniacs in our country have hoarded the greenback in underground safes,” Ondoma added.