Follow Us on Google
By Sunday Ani
The African Director of the International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA), Dr. John Metchie, has called on the main opposition party candidates in the last February presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and others to honour the call by President Bola Ahmef Tinubu to put behind their political differences and join hands with him to build a united Nigeria.
He said the President’s call for a national healing was timely, and a testimony to his humility as well as genuine concern and commitment to the good of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Metchie made the call in Nairobi, Kenya, at a four-day UN-Habitat Assembly programme on environment.
He said he was sure that most Nigerians had not taken time to go through the President’s inaugural speech because it was muffled by the controversies surrounding the oil subsidy removal.
Quoting the former United States’ President, Barack Obama, Metchie said there is a time for politics and a time for nation-building. He added that Tinubu also made a clear demarcation between the two in his inaugural speech and specifically acknowledged that becoming the president does not make him superior to or a better Nigerian than the opposition leaders or other citizens.
In his victory speech, Tinubu said: “My victory does not render me any more Nigerian than my opponents, neither does it render them any less patriotic. They shall forever be my fellow compatriots, and I will treat them as such. They represent important constituencies and concerns that wisdom dare not ignore. They have taken their concerns to court. Seeking legal redress is their right, and I fully defend their exercise of this right. This is the essence of the rule of law.”
He noted that by the statement, Tinubu has once again proved himself to be a true democrat, by standing on his age-long conviction to the rule of law, and confidence in the nation’s judicial system.
However, Metchie said the guiding principles of Tinubu’s administration as contained in his inaugural speech, clearly showed that he was determined to deviate positively from the way things were done in the past, and that, according him, justifies the need for all hands to be on deck so as to build a new Nigeria of our dream.
His said :“Among other inspiring parts of the President’s speech, my hope in a better Nigeria was rekindled with the guiding principles of the his administration which are that Nigeria will be impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law; he shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country and our sub region; he shall remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end to extreme poverty; in his administration, women and youth will feature prominently; and that his government will continue to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption, while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of various anti-corruption agencies.”
The IAWPA’s African Director, therefore, urged leaders of the opposition parties and all Nigerians to take a few minutes and read the President’s inaugural speech without prejudice or political colouration, but with open mind, as according to him, the speech represents hope, unity and progress of Nigeria.
