Oyinlola, Donald Duke, others launch Coalition For Nigeria Movement in Abuja

Former Governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State and Donald Duke of Cross-River State were among many notable politicians and youth leaders nationwide who came together on Wednesday in Abuja to launch a new movement, Coalition For Nigeria Movement (CNM).

The new movement which was formed to enable “a transition from where we are to where we ought to be” however said “it isn’t a political party yet.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had, in his last week’s statement to President Muhammadu Buhari, advocated for the formation of a Coalition which will serve as the third force in the country. The former president said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition PDP had failed Nigerians.

Chieftains of the ruling APC and that of the main opposition PDP also flooded the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Center Abuja, venue of the official launch of the movement known as Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM).

Some of the APC chieftains in attendance include a member of the Board of Trustee (BOT) Buba Galadima, Oyinlola, who is also the Board chairman of Nigeria Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC) Olagunsoye among others.

For PDP, former National chairman of the party, Ahmadu Ali, former Governor Donald Duke, and others.

But speaking at the launch of CNM in Abuja Wednesday, Oyinlola said the “movement was not launched to legitimise OBJ’s legacies.”

According to Oyinlola, though the messages raised in the Obasanjo letter were true and should be looked into, the launch of the movement was just a coincidence.

He said himself and other notable Nigerians felt “the time has come that the youths should take the lead while the elders only provide guidance.”

He said they believed that the leadership of Nigeria should be given only to those who really have the interest of the country at hearts.

Oyinlola, who is a board member of the ruling APC, said the time is now for youthful politicians and other youth leaders from across the country to take their destinies in their own hands and save Nigeria from collapse.

He said: “We are forming the movement to give the youths the chance to savage the country. We, the elders will only provide guidance. We will be doing these together to savage Nigeria from total collapse.

“This is not a political party, at least for now. If it must turn into a political party, it must be the collective decision of all of us in the movement. Let me also add that we are not formed to legitimise OBJ legacies.”

When asked whether he was ready to quit Buhari’s government to achieve the desire of the movement, Oyinlola said that he was willing to give up his Chairmanship position on the Board of NIMC to ensure that CNM becomes a success story.

He said, “I am not tied down to a political party. This is a part time commission which means I have only four meetings in a year but get it right; I joined a political party to serve my country and my service in NIMC is to my country and man.
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“If my being chairman will rob my desire to see this movement to its greatest height, then the Chairmanship will yield. The style of convening this movement is noble and it is quite different from any other we have had in this country.”

In his remark at the occasion, ex- Governor Donald Duke said sincere politicians were few in the country.

He said, “What we have are those who just want to get to power, and they need just any political party”.

He also called on the youths to join the movement and rescue the country.

He reiterated that the youths would be the leaders of the movement, not any old politician.

Duke also said that the movement has received overwhelming support since it came on board saying that the present hardship in the country is as a result of long years of bad government.

He said, “Forget about the story that we are the largest economy in Africa, it is an imagination of numbers. There are so many people in Nigeria and even if we are doing nothing, it will still be the largest economy but in terms of productivity, we are nowhere.

“If 39-40 years ago, our federal budget is N25billion , and today, it is N23billion and our population is 196million it practically explains where we are and what we have to do, the need to work as a coalition and change our nation”.

Speaking with newsmen, a Board of Trustee member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Buba Galadimma declared his support for the coalition, saying it does not go against his membership of the APC.

He said, “It is not a political party. It is a movement being put together to salvage our country from the verge of disintegration”.

The son of a former Nigerian Prime Minister, Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa, who was also graced the event, said youths are now waking up from their slumbers with the formation of the movement.

Tafawa Balewa, who is the co-chairman of the movement for North, added that new dawn had been born in the country.

The coalition is said to represent a movement that seeks to promote and ensure socio-economic development, improvement, growth, social justice, egalitarianism, cohesion, cooperation, equity, equality of opportunity, transparency, societal order, rule of law, human security and human rights leading to national unity, good governance and general well being and welfare of all citizens and inhabitant of Nigeria.