Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Anenih Urges Nigerians To Unite Against Forces Of Disunity
The Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees
(BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, has called on
Nigerians to unite against forces seeking to
endanger the country`s unity and security.
He made the call in Abuja on Wednesday,
in a message to commemorate 15 years of
uninterrupted democracy in the country.
The message was titled; “Nigeria is stronger
than it has ever been.’’
Anenih said in spite of the predictions of
doom about Nigeria, the PDP was looking
beyond 2015 and 2019 in its efforts to
sustain a stable, functional and democratic
nation.
He maintained that the PDP-led Federal
Government under President Goodluck
Jonathan had promoted the sanctity of
unfettered democracy and freedom of
expression.
He said that despite the security challenge
by terrorists, Nigeria remained stronger than
it had ever been.
“This year’s Democracy Day falls within a
period when, arising from the scourge of
terrorism, some people question the strength
of our democracy and unity.
“Without hesitation, I assure Nigerians that,
despite the challenges we are facing, Nigeria
is stronger than it has ever been’’, he said.
He added that it had been a great privilege
for the PDP to be at the helm of affairs of the
country`s administration since the return of
democracy in 1999.
“As with all human endeavours, we have
had differences with our fellow citizens on
the other side of the political divide.
“Our ongoing democratic journey is proof
that the PDP continues to faithfully
discharge its foremost duty to our country,
which is sustaining democracy’’, Anenih
said.
He added that the party had also allowed
dissent and the greatest level of inclusive
political participation ever recorded in the
country.
Anenih noted the high number of women in
senior elective and appointive positions
under the PDP leadership as one of the
achievements of the party.
He added that President Jonathan had also
demonstrated respect for the rule of law by
his non-interference in the judicial,
legislative and electoral matters.
He said it was ironic that the liberal and
exceptionally tolerant president had been
vilified for promoting the very democratic
freedoms that others were using unfairly
against the government.
He said the PDP was looking beyond 2015
and even 2019 when the fourth republic
would be 20 years.
Anenih maintained that the PDP’s
confidence stemed from the fact that it had
always been the party of the people, for the
people and by the people.
The PDP, he added, had been responsible for
the strategic restructuring of a largely state-
run economy to a free-market economy.
This, he stressed, had engendered greater
human development, free enterprise and
irreversible economic expansion.
He said it was important to note that
pursuing policies that were necessary for
inclusive economic growth had further
guaranteed political and democratic
stability in the country.
He held that Nigeria had in the past four
years, remained the choice destination for
Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in Africa.
“The World Economic Forum on Africa
(WEFA) held recently in Abuja is an
affirmation from the international
community that Nigeria’s democracy is on a
firm footing despite security challenges’’,
he said.
Anenih noted that before the advent of the
first PDP government in 1999, official
statistics placed the number of telephone
lines in Nigeria at about 500,000.
“The Nigerian Communication Commission
reports that there are well over 120 million
active telephone lines in Nigeria. The
benefits and the multiplier effects to our
economy are phenomenal’’, he added.
Anenih said PDP would continually
strengthen the mechanism for internal
democracy and urged other parties to do
same.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment