Says former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi was right about elitist manipulations of Democracy in Nigeria”
By Williams Adesoji
Abuja, Nigeria – A prominent Nigerian social critic, human rights activist and pro-democracy advocate, Comrade Igbotako Nowinta, has urged Nigerians to be ready to always fight for their democratic rights.
Comrade Nowinta, an international conflict resolution expert, who doubles as Executive Director, Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre (NGGRC), made the above statement via a press release, titled: Rotimi Amaechi Was Right About The Attitudes Of Nigerian Politicians; We Must Fight For Our Democratic Rights”, which he gave to journalists on Sunday, January 2nd, 2025, in Abuja.
The former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, spoke last week in Abuja, at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, where he emphasized that politicians would do anything to remain in power, including stealing, maiming, and killing.
Addressing the audience at the event, organized by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Amaechi stressed the need for political vigilance, warning that power must be fought for rather than expected to be handed over.
Comrade Nowinta said Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation under ex- president Muhammadu Buhari was correct, when he declared: “You are talking and abusing everybody. Nobody has power and will give it to you—not even me.
“If you want a pastor as president, go and get one. The politician is there in Nigeria to steal, maim, and kill to remain in power. If you think Tinubu will give it to you, you are wasting your time.”
Nowinta posited: “Nigerians must never allow themselves to be intimidated, brow-beaten or cowed into submission, about the facts of the matter concerning democracy in Nigeria. What we have on our hands is a most terrible situation where the votes of majority of Nigerians do not count during election process.”
According to the full text of the press release:
“We at the Nigerian Good Governance Research Centre (NGGC), are of the opinion that democracy is a game of multitudes not a draconian system to be solely and perpetually manipulated by a few individuals for their parochial egocentric desires. And sadly in Nigeria what we see is a barbaric situation where the votes of multitudes are consistently manipulated to serve the wishes and aspirations of a desperate political cabal at the highest quarters”
“That is why we are using this medium to state unequivocally that Rotimi Amaechi, ex- Minister for Transportation spoke the naked truth when he declared last week amongst other claims that :”The politician is there in Nigeria to steal, maim, and kill to remain in power. If you think Tinubu will give it to you, you are wasting your time”.
“Former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi was right about elitist manipulations of democracy in Nigeria; he actually made a clarion call to patriotic Nigerians to continue to be alert about placing their political destiny solely in their hands, than expecting any decent democratic behaviors from the elites who are currently grabbing political power after resorting to extreme thuggery, sophisticated electoral manipulations within the system and complete violence”.
“No great and prosperous people anywhere in the world got to where they are without furiously and uncompromisingly fighting for their democratic rights, such as we see glaringly in the United States, United Kingdom, and other progressive European countries.
Therefore, Nigerians must never allow themselves to be intimidated, brow – beaten or cowed into submission, about the facts of the matter concerning democracy in Nigeria. What we have on our hands is a most terrible situation where the votes of majority of Nigerians do not count during election process”.
“It is only the hypocritical beneficiaries of the current suffocating rotten system that will not see anything wrong with what has befallen our country: the consequences of elitist manipulations of the resources of our country is the imposition of one of the most horrific economic system in known history; as the masses are panting for survival”.
“We have become captive audience in the hands of a tribe of politicians who are conjuring stories of good governance and economic recovery on total fiction, and a whole bunch of lies and half truths; indeed since May 29th, 2023, our self imposed rulers have perfected a story of heartbreaks, betrayal and dictatorship”.
“Because :”The politician is there in Nigeria to steal, maim, and kill to remain in power”, we must no longer allow them to ply their heinous trade recklessly, no artificial climate of fear should deter us, the ephemerality and transience of political power must vigorously ginger us to doggedly and persistently fight for our democratic rights, come 2027, which will enable Nigerian people to take power, that would ultimately propel our country to the league of progressive nations of the world”.
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