The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties ,CNPP, has called on the international community to impose sanctions against corrupt Nigerian leaders, similar to those imposed on South Africa during the apartheid era, until the country’s corruption perception index improves.
CNPP made the plea in a statement Sunday by its Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu, to mark the end of the year 2012.
“Nigeria is dying and only the activation of existing international protocols, laws and conventions can save the situation at this stage,” CNPP said.
The CNPP specifically called on the international community to impose travel bans on politicians, high government officials and their known associates especially those who have been indicted by the police, EFCC or other anti-corruption agencies.
It also called for the freezing and or closure of questionable International Bank Accounts especially those ” in Switzerland, Cayman Island, Dubai, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Argentina, the US and UK; and vetting of all international businesses that require specified amount of transfers”.
Nigerians must take action
The CNPP also urged Nigerians to adopt a proactive action and not watch on the sidelines as the leaders lead the nation to absolute downfall.
It said Nigerians must “discard their docility, leave it behind in the outgone year and engage the ruling class in 2013 since the populace are the ones who do not have money stashed away to flee the country in the event of a meltdown”.
Happy New Year.
The body of opposition political parties also felicitated with Nigerians who are alive to witness the start of another year.
“We also wish happy celebrations to those who are able to afford one form of celebration or the other even as we stop to take stock of the year 2012, a year those allegedly elected by Nigerians remorselessly unleashed untold hardship on the populace,” it said.
CNPP said nothing presently works in Nigeria save for what is merely the semblance of a country to the extent that it is now a shadow of what it was before the military relinquished power in 1999 or when Nigeria joined the committee of nations as a giant of Africa in 1960.
State of the Nation
According to the CNPP, the Nigerian state can no longer guarantee the fundamental rights of its citizens with the state of security abysmally poor and states in several parts of the country in a state of war.
“Since coming into the office after the 2011 elections, President Jonathan, for example has not visited Borno State even if only to reassure the suffering citizens of that place that Nigeria has not and will not forsake them,” the statement added.
It said considering the size of the country in all ramifications and the series of federal government’s failed boasts to root out the insurgency by extremists in the north east of the country, the ongoing carnage is a massive tragedy of international proportion.
“What has led to this descent into hell is the blessing and curse of resources which churned out corruption of unfathomable magnitude.
“This has permeated everywhere from the top to the bottom. Whether pretext or genuine, the President is making a show of coming to terms with the reality on ground but his actions throughout 2012 told Nigerians of a man who will rather groom corruption to thrive to get whatever reprieve he seeks for himself,” it said.
The statement said the president continues to surround himself with questionable characters with most of those around him being neck deep in sleaze from Ministers and Special Advisers to heads of extra-ministerial departments.
“He himself admitted that some directors are richer than governors. A known ex-convict struts the corridors of the presidential villa”.
Legislature, Judiciary even more corrupt
CNPP said the National Assembly, which should have been representative of the people, is at the epicentre of the corruption in the land as virtually everyone with a seat there is on the take and bent on impoverishing the country by appropriating national resources to themselves as recurrent expenditure and allowances.
“Any probe they conducted in the outgoing year was soon mired in controversy as they tried to benefit at the expense of the populace,” it said.
According to the CNPP the actions and inaction of the National Assembly birthed the dreaded Boko Haram and other militia groups that they are now scared to even address.
Unfortunately, it said, this resulting state of insecurity is further excuse for them to increase the looting of the country with nearly 25% of the national budget devoted to security without result because the real purpose of this money is to create a slush fund for the 2015 elections.
It said with the judiciary on the gravy train as well, the hope of Nigerians was finally dashed in 2012.
“From the Supreme Court to the High Courts, most judges are on the take. The result is a deficient, putrid and stale governance”.
“Nigeria is dying and only the activation of existing international protocols, laws and conventions can save the situation at this stage,” it said.
