Group calls on Senators to bring dividends of democracy to Nigerians

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A coalition of civil society organisations, Occupy Senators on Monday, called on the Senators in the National Assembly to bring dividends of democracy to the people.

The Convener and National Coordinator of the group, Mr Retson Tekedeh, made the call at the news conference, following the inauguration of the national body and state branch of the group in Akure.

The national coordinator said the call became necessary to avoid the wrath of the masses.

Other civil society organisations at the meeting were; ECOWAS Youth Council, Movement for the Survival of the Underground (MOSUP) and National Association of Nigerian Students, (NANS) among others.

 

 

He said the group had meeting across the geo-political zones of the country, to recruit people of each state for more accountability of their representatives at the National Assembly.

“Our Senators are playing politics in Abuja while the President is working to fix Nigeria.

“No Senator can decide to play with our future,’’ he said.

The representative of ECOWAS Youth Assembly, Mr Ikumapayi Smith, who also spoke at the occasion, described the group as the Citizens’ office for good governance.

 

 

He said that the formation of the group would make the representatives to be accountable to the electorate.

Ikumapayi noted that the emergence of the group also marked “the commencement of a national mass movement against bad governance, audacious political impunity and mindless looting in the country.”

Contributing, MOSUP President, Mr Dappa Maharajah called for serious reorientation of the people, especially the youth, for the group to achieve speedy results.

Maharajah said that emphasis should be placed on History as a subject in the educational curriculum of the nation, to help promote statesmanship and patriotism in the minds of the citizenry.

The State Coordinator of the group, Mr Ayodele Oladimeji, said that the idea was to bring the campaign to the grassroots rather than the constant itinerary protest in Abuja.

“We are calling on all sons and daughters of Ondo state to ensure that Senators representing us conform and comply with the President’s people-driven agenda to avoid the wrath of the masses.’’

He also called for expedite actions on the anti-corruption bills and 2017 budget without playing politics with them.

However, Jide Omogunwa, the Media Officer to the Senator representing Ondo South District, Sen. Yele Omogunwa, said that the Southern Senatorial District of the state had not suffered any kind of neglect.

Omogunwa said that the Senator had embarked on large scale empowerment projects twice since 2016, with over N200 million to benefit the people of the six council areas in the district.

He also disclosed that among other items distributed by the Senator was a motor grader for infrastructure and agriculture development during the second batch of his district empowerment projects last Saturday.

“In fact, his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) last year was borne out of the drive to give his people qualitative representation and to bring to the electorate the dividends of democracy,” Omogunwa said.

(NAN)

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