As the nation marked 2022 Armed Forces Remembrance Day across the Federation, on Saturday, the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria warned against corruption tendency in public and private lives, while asking political players to shun politics of money, religion and tribe.
It said playing national politics along these lines played unfortunately major roles in the occurrences leading to the Civil War of 1967-1970 in Nigeria.
These were contained in a goodwill message by the group to serving and retired military officers in the country celebrating the Armed Forces Remembrance Day 2022, just concluded with the laying of wreath, parade and special prayers for serving, departed military officers and the nation.
In the statement marking the occasion, the group warned against dangerous trend in Nigeria’s “civillian governance whereby money politics, tribalism, nepotism and religious politics are being amplified to the detriment of good governance, integrity, honesty and transparency stating that over 55 years after some dissident soldiers truncated our hard-earned Nation’s Independence and civil rule, the Nation is ‘yet to get it right’.”
In the MMWG’s statement signed by its National Coordinator Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, it attributed the current crises such as insecurity, religious bigotry and ethnic jingoism to “money politics, poverty, disease and corruption, all of which, according to it, culminated in bad governance.
Continuing, it said the whole problems arise from improper and expensive governing system as well as corruption, pointing out that the nation must look for a cheaper system of government by amending the Constitution and cut down on salaries and allowances of political office holders.
“We should entrust the nation and our states in the hands of God-fearing people who would rule with fear of Allah, equity, justice and fairness to all, the Group stated.”
On unity, the group called on all office seekers ahead of 2023 to make the will to get a new Constitution and fighting corruption their campaign promises that must be fulfilled.
This it said became necessary because there cannot be unity and progress in situation where nation’s financial resources are concentrated in the hands of few, while millions of people languish in abject poverty due to lack of job, insecurity and disease.
MMWG commended the security forces in the country for their sacrifices to keep the nation together in peace and warned politicians to stop fanning embers of hatred through religious and ethnic misguidance.
“They should also steer clear of hatred and animosity based on political differences as people know that most politicians are always out to fight for their personal interests and not fight for their sake,” the group said.
