Naira redesigning: Dogara commends Buhari over initiative to curb vote buying
…advances reasons why Atiku should be voted president
By Tunde Opalana
As mixed reactions greeted President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision on redesigning of Naira notes, former Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara has commended the President for his determination to curb vote buying in the 2023 general election.
Not unaffected by the hardship caused by the Naira redesign and swap policy,the former Speaker pleaded with Nigerians to endure it for a few weeks as sacrifice for a free, fair and credible election.
Dogara in a statement on Friday urged Nigerians to trudge on in the hope that these pains caused by the policy may truly be the birth pangs they have to endure for a New Nigeria to be born.
He said “for those criticizing the President on the issue of timing, I want to remind them in the words of Dr King Jnr that time is eternally neutral and , “the time is always ripe to do right.
“Let me emphatically say that the President has the sole Constitutional powers over currency matters and all those busy running their mouths because they have been denied the opportunity to deploy the ill gotten naira they have stashed to buy votes, that they are committing treason.
“The President is absolutely right not to have given in to the greed of the few against the needs of the many. While the President is right to have acted on what he knows and in the best interest of the country, his traducers are petty, unpatriotic, treacherous and grossly irresponsible.
“Therefore, Mr President deserves our thunderous applause. Whoever writes it, history will be kind to Mr President if he doesn’t give in or give up on his resolve to ensure a free, fair and credible democratic election no matter the cost on the 25th Febuary, 2023 as scheduled by INEC.”
The Bauchi born politician called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure the redesigned notes are made available to people stressing that “but even if the CBN failed to do so, my plea to all Nigerians is to endure the pains for few more weeks for our votes to count and for us to elect a President we truly deserve. “
Dogara dissected the problems bedeviling the nation and concluded that Nigeria need a president in the mould of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He said “let me remind us that Nigeria is tottering on the precipice and for everyone who has ever wondered how the bottom looks like, this is it! No doubt these are moments of national peril! That is why we need a President who will hit the ground running from day one. If we love Nigeria, we can not afford to foist a rookie on her as President.
“Tell me if any of the candidates comes close to HE Atiku Abubakar in terms of readiness to hit the ground running from day one. In case you dont know him, let me attempt the impossible task of introducing him to you.
“His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the Wazirin Adamawa is a statesman like no other and a father in every sense of the the word, Abba. He is a demonstrable source that gives life to everything around him.”
Speaking further on the sterling qualities of Atiku, he said “Give him pure water and he’ll turn it into Farro water, Show him a Primary school and he’ll turn it into a world class univeristy, Show him a jetty and he’ll turn it into a world class port, Give him a bull and a heifer and just few years and he ll give you a herd, Give him a bag of chaff and he’ll mill it into animal feed, Give him a bottle of bala blue and he’ll turn the cream to farro juice, Give him a home and he’ll bring Nigeria into it as family members and Make him walk into an environment where there is contention and fight and see how they fade into peace.”
He added that that is the rich pedigree that Atiku Abubakar will bring to the table as President.
“We need a steady hand not a hand that must always be steadied because only a steady hand can steady a volatile Nigeria. We need a hand on which nothing dies not the hand that spills everything that is placed on it if we do not want our collective national destiny to be spilled.
“We need a grounded leader not a feckless gormless pretender who has become a perfect gift to every level of comedy both local and internationally. By our votes, let us send a strong and clear message to those who want to foist this tasteless joke on us that Nigeria is no Comedy Cellar or Viva Blackpool.
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Therefore: for national healing and recovery, let us vote for Atiku; to end terrorism, banditry, insurgency, kidnap for ransom and sundry acts of criminality, let us vote for Atiku. to rebuild shattered trust and strengthen national unity, let us vote for Atiku, to bring order to national chaos, let us vote for Atiku, to end religious divisions and engender religious harmony, let us vote Atiku, to enthrone merit over mediocrity and nepotism, among other”.
