The Coalition for the Protection of Democracy, COPDEM, has urged the Federal Government to reconsider some of its policies that are capable of putting huge financial strain on the citizenry.
The Non-Governmental Organization said there was need for FG to always tailor it policies towards the betterment of the interest and welfare of citizens, describing it as a major objective of every government.
The National Chairman of the organization, Prince Rwang Pam Jr, spoke during the National Convention of the body, held in Abuja.
He maintained that governance should be about making the lives of the common man better, rather than wearing them out with levies and taxes, which according to him, have direct negative effects on the people.
He said: “For me, there is a lot of work to be done by the present government; we have heard of policies and for me to be okay with the performance of this government, the ordinary Nigerians must be able to say it, people in the street. I want to see people in them feel better.
“If you consider the level of taxes and levies that people are inflicted with almost weekly, what has the government done about it? When are they going to stop all these taxes and try to create a safety net for the masses? I feel they can do more.”
Prince Rwang further queried the rationale behind the cyber security levy that was recently placed on bank transactions, insisting that the policy was ill-timed
“Why must you bring the tax at this time?It should be out of profit. You cannot tax anyone yet to make profit. So, all these are inflicting on the psych of the poor people. It doesn’t make sense,” he added
He advised citizens to always hold their leaders as well as government institutions accountable, saying it would help to reduce the rate of corruption and nepotism among the political class.
Meanwhile, he said the organization deemed it fit to confer honourary awards on Nigerians, both dead and alive, whose contribution helped to entrench democracy in the country.
Among those he said the organization penciled down for the special recognition, included the late foremost journalist, Dele Giwa, late human rights activist, Gani Fawehinmi, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Moshood Abiola, as well as the late Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Obadiah Mailafia.
According to COPDEM’s Chairman, other recipients of the icons award, included the late President Umaru Ya’Adua; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, as well as human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN.
Others include Bishop Mathew Kukah; the late minister of information, Prof. Dora Akunyili; the Yoruba leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; the late Dele Giwa; the late Gani Fawehinmi; Sen. Shehu Sani and Oby Ezekwesili, among others
Meatime, in his speech, Chairman of the event and Secretary General of Big Tent, Austin Kemie, said current Nigerian politicians are not living by the principles of democracy, unlike what it was in the past.
He said the current political parties in the country were yet to define their purpose, saying the country was still in need of politicians who will drive democracy for the benefit of every citizen.
“Looking at Nigerian politicians, do you think that they are living by that principle of democracy? Certainly not! When you talk about the Second Republic, we see politicians with conscience.
“For the political parties at the time, you can easily identify what each of those different political parties stood for; like the NPN, the PRP, the UPN and so on, from the late 70s up to the early 80s.
“But in this current dispensation, I am sorry that we do not have the kind of politicians that can actually drive democracy as it were in Nigeria back then,” Kemie added.
The event also featured the presentation of scholarship awards to three undergraduates as winners of the COPDEM scholarship project.
