Kenny Martins births new group aimed at re-ordering political practice in Nigeria

Following the chaotic political situation in the country, leading to defections across party line and general confusion in the system, a new political group seeking to re-order the way politics is played in the country has emerge.

The group, Legacy Initiative International, otherwise simply called ‘Legacy’, at its unveiling in Lagos vowed to work through the entire strata of the Nigerian population, especially the religious and traditional leaders with the aim of re-orienting the people towards a change in the general approach to politics, which will be more God centered.

Speaking at the event in Lagos, the Grand Patron of the group, Chief Kenny Martins said that the group came about because of concern of its founding members to find solution to lingering political issues across the country which has not helped in developing the system.

According to him, “Legacy is an Organisation that has been long in coming. Many well-meaning Patriotic Nigerians have been meeting for nearly one year now and searching for solutions to some of the most divisive issues in Nigeria as a country, namely; Ethnicity and Religious intolerance.

“They have spent sleepless nights, travelled long distances for consultations and spent their meagre income on logistics for a cause which is for the common good of all our people in Nigeria. I am very proud to have been associated with them all the way.”

He noted that in the course of its consultations, the group met various persons from diverse political, religious and ethnic background including leaders of the various Christian groups, Islamic groups, political groups and even traditional institutions.

He said the essence of the consultations is to help build a consensus among the various leaders of the need to build a new political order where ethnic or religious leaning will no longer be a barrier, rather there will be a crop of Nigerians who will seek people who love the nation above all else and are God fearing, ready to serve God and humanity in their various offices to stand for public offices.

He said, “The twin issues that Legacy has decided to focus its advocacy upon are not in the least exotic. These are hard-core issues that have prevented our country from developing as fast as it could have developed over the years.

“The good news is that with the work of Legacy and the organisations that have pledged their support to it, the twin evils of Ethnicity and Religious intolerance will be drastically defeated and degraded in Nigeria.”

According to Martins, “Our population of Muslims in Nigeria is more than the population of any other country in Africa. Also, Our population of Christians in Nigeria is more than the population of any other country in Africa. Only Nigeria has the capacity to feed 200,000,000 people per year and still remain the largest economy in our continent.

“It is therefore a thing of regret that often times the narratives that we see and hear, even from very prominent Nigerians are issues that relate to hate speech and the proclamation of artificial fault lines like Ethnicity and Religious intolerance.”

Speaking earlier, the President of the group, Dr. Bolaji Akinyemi, who said the group has a vision of getting it right in Nigeria, added that Legacy is a coalition of several groups with a common interest and agenda to cross fertilise ideas towards achieving a greater Nigeria where every citizen will be proud to be part of.

He regretted that despite the level of religious belief in the country and despite that the two dominant religions in the country, the Christian and Muslim faiths which teaches about love and peace, the happenings across the country does not show that the teaching is having the desired result.

He said that Legacy is a group born with the aim of changing all of that and helping to re-order the approach to politics by majority of Nigerians.