The former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, Wednesday said that Nigeria is in the process of collapsing, alleging that reckless elite in control of the governance process are blindly running the country aground.
The former INEC boss, who stated this in Abuja at the 2022 Workers’ Political Conference organized by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said considering the current situation in the country, 2023 general elections may be the ‘make or break’ epochal moment.
Painting a gloomy of the situation in the country, Prof. Jega said that Nigeria is, undoubtedly, at a point in its history when the issue of national emancipation for credible national development, beneficial to the Nigerian people, requires being raised high on the front banner of national discourses by patriotic Nigerians and friends of Nigeria, and especially by the Nigerian workers themselves.
While calling that all hands of progressive forces must be on deck to prevent the country from the alleged imminent collapse, the former university don, “The sorry state of the socio-economic conditions under which the Nigerian working people, indeed the overwhelming majority of all citizens live and work, the reckless misrule and mis-governance by a tiny, rabid and reckless band of elite, and the manner by which these myopic ‘elected’ so-called ‘leaders’ and their collaborators, have devastated the Nigerian economy, heightened insecurity, and virtually destroyed the basis for national cohesion and integration, Nigeria, as a potentially great nation, is crying for a rescue mission, before it is too late.
“Such a rescue mission cannot be serious, positive and successful, without the active engagement and involvement of the Nigerian workers through their genuine representatives in working-class organizations and movements, in alliance with other progressive and patriotic Nigerians.
“While Nigeria may not have totally collapsed, it is in the process of collapsing, as reckless elite in control of the governance process are blindly running the country aground. And the 2023 general elections may be the ‘make or break’ epochal moment.
“Given this, all hands of progressive forces must be on deck to prevent our country from imminent collapse, and to turn it around on to a trajectory of good democratic governance for beneficial democratic, socio-economic development, and human security for Nigerian citizens.
“A broad alliance of progressive forces for national rescue and emancipation is absolutely required to get Nigeria out of the current unwholesome predicament in which it finds itself.
“The deliberations at this conference, guided by the lead paper presentation and panel discussion, should help us chart a course for a reinforced commitment to national emancipation and more active engagement participation of Nigerian workers in our current and future political processes.”
