Fela Durotoye sends a passionate New Nigeria message to electorates

…Fela Durutoye Writes Nigerians – It’s a rebirth of a New Nigeria 

By Daniels Ekugo

My dear brothers and sisters My name is Fela DUROTOYE, I am the Presidential Candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria Party (ANN), the party with the logo of a Lion in the 2019 General Elections.

I believe that 2019 is not just another calendar year in our nation’s history. I sincerely believe that 2019 will be a very special year for our nation and our people, one that will be told over many years to come to future generations yet unborn, as it will be a year that is filled with pleasant surprises for everyone, especially at the upcoming General Elections. 

I believe that this year is going to be a new beginning for our nation and even though we gained independence in 1960, we now have a unique opportunity to gain our freedom through our choices in the upcoming elections.

By freedom, I mean our Freedom from the shackles of the cabals and a few people who have held us bound soon after independence. Freedom from the deprivation, the poverty, the hunger, the preventable diseases and all other forms of hardship brought upon us by those who have ruled us and held us captive for so long. Freedom from the terror of armed robbers, kidnappers, herdsmen, militants and the harassment & extortion from security agents.

Freedom from the shackles of unemployment and career stagnation. Freedom for our students to pursue an academic career without strikes. Freedom for every woman & every girl to maximize her full potential without any limitations to opportunities because of her gender. Freedom to pursue our business dreams without the oppression and suppression of government policies that have brought upon us economic stagnation and recession. Freedom to succeed in whatever part of the country we are in because we are Nigerians, without being marginalized or discriminated against by tribe or religion.

I believe that this journey to a New Nigeria will be filled with Hope, Joy and Celebrations and at the upcoming elections, Nigerians would vote for their freedom and would vote for a party that is committed to their freedom, their happiness and their prosperity. This is why I am convinced that you and millions of people just like you and I, people who are unhappy & tired of living in a country where life is just so hard and nothing seems to be working; people who believe that we are blessed enough to be a better country than we are today; all of us will come out & vote overwhelmingly for the Alliance for New Nigeria Party (ANN), the party with the logo of a lion in the 2019 Elections.

I am expectant and excited about the possibilities of a New Nigeria where there will be Jobs & Opportunities for all to prosper and enjoy good success. A New Nigeria with Opportunities for All to pursue their happiness as they achieve great goals and lofty dreams. A New Nigeria where the son of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody because it is a Nigeria where things work for everyone… a Nigeria where everyone is able to find fulfilling work as they make things work … A nation where every citizen lives in peace and harmony in a society protected by friendly, well trained and equipped policemen who are respectful and respectable and who inspire a sense of safety and security in everyone. 

A Nation with a government of nation builders that are committed to work for everyone and not just themselves, their families and their kinsmen. A government filled with true leaders and not rulers; leaders who value and respect the citizens that they are there to serve and to protect. Leaders who are committed to protecting the lives, property and prosperity of every citizen and will do all that is required to improve the quality of life and the standards of living of every Nigerian in all parts of our nation. A government that is committed to the values of Transparency, Integrity and Excellence as promoted by the Alliance for New Nigeria Party … ANN.

A truly democratic government of the people and not the cabals, for the people and not the cabals and by the people and not the cabals. A government that is committed to reducing the cost of governance by eliminating wastage & eradicating the culture of corruption that has killed our potential to grow into one of the largest economies in the world. A government committed to reorienting our people with the values that will produce a new mindset of leadership and excellence in every citizen. A merit driven government that provides equal opportunities for everyone and where no tribe is marginalized or given undue advantage.

A business friendly government committed to helping everyone with a business idea build profitable enterprises that will grow sustainably as our government educates, empowers and equips every willing and able Nigerian with the skill set, the tool set and the mindset to be our best and to do our best in all that we do, particularly the things we are naturally good at. An ANN government that is committed to restructuring our country. Through constitutional amendments to our governing powers at the Federal, State and Local Governments levels, we will ensure the proper resource control and revenue allocation required to maximize the economic value of all our resources all across our land. Our revenue allocation formula would be 20% to communities, 20% to State & 40% to Federal Government.

I know for a fact that Nigeria is just too blessed to be a poor country. In fact, we are blessed enough to become one of the greatest nations on earth. With an abundance of mineral resources, natural resources and the largest collection of human resources of the black race, Nigeria can and must become one of the most desirable nations to live in.

The time has come for our generation to wrestle our nation from the clutches of the few cabal … the same old rulers who have used different platforms of the military institutions and have stood on different political parties without any ideology in our democratic dispensation … yet, in their quest to grab and hold unto power, year after year, election after election, the same people in different administrations have robbed us all of our commonwealth and turned a nation of blessed people into some of the poorest people on the planet earth.

But don’t despair… have hope… because a New Nigeria is coming… with a young, vibrant and competent team of leaders committed to putting Nigeria first, Nigerians next & themselves last. Get ready, we are about to see an industrious & innovative New Nigeria like we have never seen before … a nation where every community across the length and breadth of our land from Adamawa to Akwa Ibom… from Akure to Akwanga… every community and every citizen will have the opportunity to contribute to our national productivity as we enjoy double digit economic growth and stability. The New Nigeria is a strong, vibrant and prosperous nation with stable power, smooth roads without potholes but rather safe roads with beautiful street lights and street signs that are the same type where ever you go across Nigeria. 

In the New Nigeria WE WILL aspire together to join hands in Public sector and Private sector partnerships to invest in. Agriculture, Security, Power, Infrastructure & Restoring our values and empowering our people to become a strong, healthy, well-educated and productive population that is capable of building our economy and restoring our pride and place amongst the comity of nations. The world will surely marvel as we together industrialize this New Nigeria & history will celebrate our generation as we build industrial estates in every one of our 774 local government areas. These special economic zones will host companies and factories that will process, package, preserve and prepare agricultural produce, livestock and lifestyle products for export and domestic markets. 

These industrial hubs in every local government area will attract export-quality processing plants that must add value to the raw materials, precious stones and metals from our mines in every community within the local government areas across Nigeria before they can be certified for export. These free trade zones will host commodities boards such as the Cocoa Board, Cassava Board and Groundnut Board. These well run institutions will be managed by reputable stakeholders in each sub sector of the agriculture industry and they will be committed to supporting every farmer with access to farm support, machinery, finance, seedlings, fertilizers and irrigation machinery.

The New Nigeria will become the food basket of the world and the Sustainable Development Goal of ZERO HUNGER will be actualized in Nigeria as no Nigerian will ever have to go to bed hungry. Our farmlands will produce optimal yield of top quality food. Our farmers will be rich and yet food will be abundant and affordable to every Nigerian no matter where they live or work in the country. 

The entire value chain of our agro-allied industry will be profitable and farming will once again become a prestigious profession that attracts the young, the educated and the visionary Nigerian because we will have strong institutional support and regulatory framework that is committed to the success of every farmer and a high quality of life & the overall well-being of their family. 

The New Nigeria will be a technologically advanced nation and the home to Africa’s largest pool of tech talents, tech experts and Enterprenuers who disrupt the status quo with technology based solutions that are developed in Nigeria and deployed all over the world. All across Nigeria, we will see our own versions of Silicon Valley… Tech Cities that foster an inspiring environment for creative minds to dream of the next big idea and think of collaborative ways to build it… Tech hubs that provide an enabling environment to develop Apps and build global businesses.

We will deliberately nurture the creative genius of Nigerians and strategically invest in the development of creative talent and management skill especially for our entertainment industry. Intellectual property will be valued, protected and rewarded in the New Nigeria.

Our historic artifacts and heritage sites will be preserved and promoted to attract homeland and international tourists. Our national orientation will be friendly and welcoming to all visitors. Every Nigerian would imbibe the culture of delivering a world class service experience4 that will make the New Nigeria a destination capital for everyone to visit for holidays, conferences and exhibitions.

As we have all beheld the amazing industrial revolution of China and other South East Asian countries in one generation and watched in wonder, how Dubai and the United Arab Emirates have built their country into the “Miracles in the Desert”, I believe the world will come to study how Nigerians transformed our country in what will seem like ‘the twinkle of an eye’ as we worked non-stop around the clock in 4 shifts of 6 hours each… 24 hours a day… 7 days a week… to build schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, power stations, housing estates and a high speed rail network connecting every local government to the Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar seaports as well as the Baro, Onitsha and Lokoja riverports so as to facilitate easy export and route to international markets.

The integrity of our leaders in government and the ease of doing business in the New Nigeria that ranks high on the global transparency index will inspire confidence in Nigerians at home and in diaspora to invest in their homeland. Investor-friendly policies and judicial and arbitration courts that guarantee a free, fair and fast justice system will inspire confidence in foreign investors worldwide as we build a reputation of having one of the largest pools of talented and passionate employees that deliver great service and world class products for export and local consumption … and like I have always said, if it is not good enough for the rest of the world, then it’s not good enough for Nigerians.

I believe that without wastage and corruption, we will be able to afford to provide free and quality education to every Nigerian child through primary and secondary education. Our tertiary and vocational institutions will be affordable and scholarships, bursaries and student loans will be available to every bright scholar regardless of which part of the country they are from. In public schools all across our land, we will see happy children getting solid education from loving teachers that are committed to preparing the next generation for success in their future and their life’s vocation as we build a bright future for them to succeed in our nation. We must build a Nigeria that provides opportunity and hope for all our youth to believe in, to dream in, to aspire in and to succeed in. A nation where every woman & every girl is encouraged, equipped and empowered to become all they can be. A great nation where elderly citizens live a peaceful and comfortable life in retirement with access to quality healthcare free of charge in appreciation of their labor and their sacrifice in their productive years. The hallmark of our government will be the care and respect for every citizen, particularly the elderly, the weak and the vulnerable. 

In the New Nigeria, disability will not be a disadvantage… and no Nigerian will age with fear of a vulnerable life in retirement or in the unfortunate incident of accident. We will honour and regard our veterans and pensioners with prompt and painless payment of their gratuity and ensure regular payments of their monthly pension allowances while giving privileged access on queues at bus stops, train and ferry stations and airports all across our land. This assurance of elderly care and a high quality of life in retirement will curtail the tendency of the middle-aged working class to seek to amass wealth through corrupt means to guarantee a comfortable life in retirement. 

So, let me say it loud and clear… A new Nigeria is coming… where all across our nation, everyone can find joyful employment without knowing anybody and we don’t all need to go to the cities in search of opportunities because there will be economic growth and job opportunities in every community & every local government area across Nigeria. Clearly, the new Nigeria is different from the Nigeria we live in today and surely it cannot be the same old politicians who have given us this Nigeria that we are tired of, that will give us the New Nigeria we desire and dream of. 

My brothers and sisters. It is time to retire the old politicians and empower the new generation of nation builders that will build us a great nation that is just like the nations that we admire on television … the kind of nations that we love to travel to, study in and get permanent residency and citizenship for our children. These great nations are not more blessed than we are. In actual fact, all these great nations only have true leaders committed to using their positions and authority in government to make the lives of their people better … and that is same quality of leaders that ANN promises to give us in government, when we vote for the Lion in the 2019 Elections. And … I, Fela Durotoye, do solemnly commit to lead that team of leaders with a proven track record of performance and achievements in the service of our nation and our people even when we did not hold any political office. 

I promise to inspire every Nigerian to be our best and to do our best so that we can all enjoy the best quality of life that any citizen of a blessed country & a great nation deserves. Together, we can and we must work hard to build a New Nigeria that all Nigerians at home and in diaspora would be proud of.  

A New Nigeria that we would be proud to bequeath to the next generation and they would be grateful to inherit from us. I believe that, in the future, when our children ask us how we built the great New Nigeria that we are all so proud of, we will tell them that, in the 2019 General Elections, we decided to vote for a different set of people than the ones we have always had to choose from in times past.  

This journey to the New Nigeria starts with your decision to vote for the Alliance for New Nigeria party … ANN… the Party with the logo of the Lion in the 2019 Elections. So … tell your family and your friends … tell your colleagues and your neighbors … tell everyone you love and everyone you know to VOTE FOR A NEW NIGERIA… and everyday until the elections, remind everyone you meet and everyone you can connect with in the cities and in the villages to VOTE THE LION.

Our generation carries the promise of a New Nigeria and the mandate has been given to you and I to deliver this New Nigeria but we … together … must accept the responsibility to deliver the future of our great nation… a great New Nigeria for one and for all… and it all starts with your decision to join hands to build an alliance for a New Nigeria as we vote for the ALLIANCE FOR NEW NIGERIA party (ANN) in the 2019 Elections… and remember… that is the party with the logo of the Lion.

May God bless you & May God bless our Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Ends.