BY EMEKA MAMAH
LAGOS — The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to not only fight corruption but appoint credible and courageous Nigerians who can tell him what he should hear and not what he would wish to hear if he wanted to make any impact on Nigerians as the journey towards his swearing-in on May 29 begins.

Also, the Citizens Popular Party, CPP, and Senator Abubakar Girei asked Jonathan to review the seven-point agenda, which was the blueprint developed by his predecessor, the late President Umaru Yar’Ádua for the development of the country and focus on education, power and infrastructure to act as the catalyst that can catapult the country to greatness.

They told Vanguard at separate telephone interviews that Jonathan must make the difference to justify the confidence Nigerians repose in him, adding that the only way he can do this was to work hard and dispense with the services of sycophants in his government.

Citizens Popular Party, CPP,  urged Jonathan to “concentrate on the twin priorities of security and welfare of the people in addition to the issue of poor electricity supply to carve his name in gold” just as Senator  Girei urged the President to concentrate on education for the desired impact.

In its own contribution, ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani said: “In our congratulatory message to the President-elect, Dr. Jonathan and all winners, as well as to all losers, ACF called on Mr. President and all state governors to bring the people together and enable them to unleash their synergy and live up their collective challenges for the common good.

“One way of doing this is to work hard and overcome the differences which divide the people. This is because, it is possible to make the most of our differences, love them, honour them and respect them.

After all, our interdependence is such that securing divorce is not possible. Towards that end, the incoming cabinet members must be people with the desired content of character with public intelligence and patriotic courage, needed to tell power the truth.

“That is not only what power wants to hear but also what it needs to hear, so that our collective aspiration can find expression. The second priority is the responsibility of any government to secure lives and properties of the governed.

“This is sine qua non for any socio_economic development to take place. Current source of insecurity in Nigeria vary from criminal through socio_economic, ethno religious to political; and unless the various governments have realistic appreciation of what cause the prevalent insecurity in the land, they cannot find the solution.

“It therefore, behoves the governments to make consciously directed efforts and make the desired results come to pass since the situation is not beyond redemption. After all, where there is a will, there is often a way.

“Corruption is another priority area, precisely because it distorts our value system and our sense of what is right and what is wrong. As a result, corrupt practices steal the empowerment of our youths, steal their opportunity and also steal their future.

“Situations where former public officers indicted are allowed to walk free and many of them crawl back to governments offend many people’s sense of justice.

“As to the seven point_ Agenda, and given the trite that Nigeria carts home gold medals in all misery indices and brings up the rear in human development index; it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Nigeria needs a new game plan under the watch of new players that will assist Nigerians who wish their burden lifted and those who need barriers to realising their rights broken”.

Also, the National Chairman, Citizens Popular Party, Chief Maxi Okwu who spoke for his party said that the so_called seven_point agenda of the late Yar’Adua was the imagination of those in government as there was actually nothing like that.

“Was there actually a seven point agenda? To me Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s seven_ point agenda was more in the media than in real life.

“For Goodluck Jonathan, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has in Section 14 made the twin issue of welfare of the citizens and security the primary purpose of government” and he should carve his name in gold by facing these problems as well as provide electricity for the people to accelerate development.

Earlier, Senator Girei who is from Adamawa state had told Vanguard that President Jonathan must make education the central issue during his tenure.

“Education; education and education is not only a priority but must be declared an emergency. Critical infrastructure like railways, inland waterways and ports development to boost agricultural development are the key.

“Security in peace and unity is of paramount importance since nothing can be achieved without them,” Girei added.