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Dickson Okafor
Chief Elvis Obiekwe, National President of Dynamic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (DYON), speaks on why members of the group will re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari as the president next month.
Why is DYON supporting the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari?
Don’t forget that this administration inherited a damaged economy and the consequence of the colossus damage and financial recklessness of the immediate past administration is what put the nation’s economy in bad shape. In as much as I don’t want to engage in blame game, the economy was in a sharp decline and there were so many challenges this government had to grapple with at inception. However, the Buhari administration has done so much within three and half years to turn the economy around. That is one of the reasons DYON wants him to continue with the laudable projects embarked upon by this government. I’m sure the economic problem will be overcome within a short time. The truth is that the previous administration destroyed the economy before leaving office. Our foreign reserve was N55billion when Jonathan assumed office, but was whittled down to N2billion by the last administration.
Those who are against Buhari’s second term bid say the president is incompetent, what are the chances of Buhari considering the opposition against him?
How can you say Buhari is incompetent when for the first time in 20 years there is no fuel scarcity during yuletide? Of course, you know that every Christmas we do queue for weeks at filing station to buy fuel. But last year there was no such man-made suffering. So, availability of petrol during this year’s yuletide is President Buhari’s Christmas gift to Nigerians. Anyway, those who said Buhari is incompetent are entitled to their opinion. A close look at the policies of President Buhari’s government shows that what is being done now is provision of immediate panacea to the many decades of decay in the system. I want to assure the doubting Thomas that if re-elected, Buhari will bring about continuous progress as the gains of the last three and half years will not only be consolidated, but will be improved upon. Maybe the anti-Buhari exponents are finding it difficult to appreciate Mr. President’s achievements or they are blind to his scorecard.
Most pro-Buhari groups have been accused of sycophancy, is DYON one of them?
Dynamic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (DYON) is a frontline Non-Governmental Organisation registered in Nigeria and recognised by relevant bodies of government to project and advances the interest of youths in Nigeria. DYON has active and functional chapters in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja. We synergise with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and willing corporate bodies and individuals to run schemes that benefit the teeming youths of our country.
DYON is not supporting all the candidates of APC, but Buhari. With our vision highlighted above, it will be wrong for anyone to say DYON is sycophantic. No doubt, Buhari has shown capacity and strength to fix the nation’s battered economy. We decided to unanimously endorse Buhari in our forthcoming rally.
No matter how you try to explain reasons for the hardship faced by Nigerians, what people want to hear is how they can get food to eat. What do you say about that?
There is no magic or shortcut to economic stability than to put measures in place and cut down on excesses for the economy to regain strength. This is why I commend Buhari for introducing the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which has made it mandatory for MDAs to remit into the Federation Account all amount accruing to them. This is another measure to block financial drain in the economy. For instance, remittances to the Federation Account by MDAs, such as Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NMASA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Joint Administration and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and others have increased. Today, Nigeria’s respect in the comity of nations has increased because there is no room for corruption and stealing with impunity anymore. This nation belongs to the youths and must be protected. And I want to also correct another impression, it is not true that Buhari is trying to Islamise the country, it is a blatant lie. I call on the detractors of this government, especially those who are sponsoring killings and other forms of crime against the Nigerian state and its people to have a rethink, otherwise, the security network of this administration would soon catch up with them.
What do the young people stand to gain if President Buhari is re-elected?
Because we have resolved to continue to support and promote one indivisible Nigeria where every citizen is free to live and do business in any part of the country, Buhari’s re-election will consolidate the unity of Nigeria. Like I have said, those plotting to use the youths to desstabilise the forthcoming general election are doing so at their own peril because their action will be counterproductive.
Many Nigerians have lost hope in Buhari; they prefer Atiku, what is your take?
As it stands today, it is President Buhari that has the capacity to put Nigeria fully on track. Buhari has displayed resilience, steadfastness and consistent character of integrity and forthrightness. That is why Nigeria youths prefer Buhari to Atiku Abubakar and urged him to continue the good work that he is doing.
