Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has criticised the Federal Government for what it called misgovernance that had led to insecurity, dilapidated infrastructure, high cost of living and continuous drop in quality of life of Nigerians.
CAN said Nigeria has never experienced bad governance as it has recorded in past 10 years, to the point that some governors were literally begging criminals to shield their swords, stop attacks because they have no answer to stop them.
CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle Olasupo, in a statement released in Abuja, expressed concerns that Nigeria may be consumed by insecurity and misgovernance if urgent steps were not taken to correct and redirect governance system of the country.
“If it’s too late to return to the Parliamentary system of government, then, we should practise a Presidential system that will not be as expensive as the one we are practising. We may borrow a leaf from Ghana and France in doing this.
“The current state of Nigeria should be a shame on our political leaders and the rest of us who have not done our best in various places of leadership, including those who governed us during the military misadventure to power.
“They have, obviously, failed to invest in the future of Nigeria, hence the collapsed infrastructures everywhere. They failed to build enduring institutions, instead enriching themselves at the expense of the dreams of the founding fathers of the country.
“Our electoral system has remained far from being free, fair, and credible because of thuggery, godfather syndrome and the use of law enforcement agents to intimidate voters in order to win election.”
He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Bill reform that has been on his table since last year as that would guarantee credible electoral system that would ensure that nations respect Nigerian political leaders.
“Additionally, government should revisit the 2014 National Conference Report with a view to using it to address some problems militating against the peace and unity of the country.
“We don’t need another conference if there’s a political will to implement the 2014 Confab report. It should just be sent to the National Assemblies as template to guide legislative process of better repositioning of Nigeria,” he suggested.