Nigeria @ 52: HDP in C’River Calls for Implementation of Uwais Report

by crossriverwatch admin

The Hope Democractic Party, HDP in Cross River State has called on the federal government to give another thought to the implementation of the recommendations of the Justice Uwais Panel on Electoral Reform.

The party in a statement to mark the 52nd Independence Anniversary, signed by the former governorship candidate of the party in the state, Dr. Theo Onyuku said: “as our faltering nation marks her 52nd independence anniversary,Hope Democratic Party Demands total sober reflection from our leaders and followers because our country has found herself in a state of anomie, where nothing works. We remember the question asked by late music maestro, Sir Sunny Okosuns in 1984 saying which say Nigeria? Which way to go? As a nation, we must accept that we have woefully failed and achieved nothing. HPD insist that there is absolutely nothing to celebrate. we have failed in all facets of development and we ask, where have we done well?”

the statement added that “In the area of provision of basic things of life for the citizens, education, health care, infrastructure, job creation, youth employment, engagement, empowerment, provision of security, welfare and well being, shelter, food and care for the citizenry, our nation has failed and the way forward is to ensure the total implementation of the Uwais Panel Report. Therefore, the HDP demands the immediate and total implementation of the recommendations of the Justice Uwais Panel on Electoral Reform”.

Also, a legal practitioner and public affairs analyst in Calabar, Bar Etum Essien called on crossriverians to use the occasion of the country’s 52nd Independence to reflect on so many issues in the state and change the impression that crossriverians are a docile people. He said: “we have been tagged a docile people after 52years of Nigeria’s Independence not because we are really docile but because we have lackadaisical attitude. It is shocking that N546m was spent on passing seven bills as reported by the media. If that is true, then it is outrageous and crossriverians are keeping quite. we should find out how the thousands of kilometres of roads purported to have been constructed are. We ought to find out who the contractors handling these projects are and what are the contract sums. We should learn to react to situations and stop behaving like a conquered state”.

The Cross River State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association NBA, Bar. Effiok Ekong also challenged the federal government to address the fundamental challenges that have confronted the country for the past 52years. “at 52, the federal government should have the courage to restructure the component states to allow them control their resources. In Cross River, we have been blessed with good leadership, what we need is a fundamental restructuring of the country to allow the component states to grow at their pace. If we can take that path at 52, we will be heading somewhere”