Nigerians have been called upon to wake up from their slumber and assert their rights as full fledged citizens of the country and not to see themselves as second class citizens.
They have also been reminded that those in authorities at government at all levels in the country are not their masters but are there to serve and serve them better by providing them with their needs at all times.
Making the call Monday in a chat with newsmen shortly after the opening ceremony of the 4th Nigeria Social Forum [NSF] held at the Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria, the chair of NSF, Oby Nwankwo, regretted that majority of the people of Nigeria were ignorant of their rights as citizens of Nigeria, adding that NSF was aimed at sensitizing the people to be fully aware of their rights and privileges.
Nwankwo, however, used the occasion to charge the Federal Government to put up structures and mechanism that would enable it achieve its dream of making the country one of the 20th strongest economies in the world by the year 2020.
Government was also called upon to carry the people along and do at all times things that are of their interest and benefits so as to give them sense of belonging that would enable them contribute meaningfully to the development of the country.
She therefore wondered how Nigeria could realize her long dream of becoming one of the 20th largest economies in 2020, without having in place necessary infrastructures to enable local institutions and industries to thrive.
According to her, “The machinery of government has consistently failed to provide the needed platform and vision to actualize our collective dreams as a people and side by side exists a people who are completely intimidated and docile and unable to set the agenda or dictate the pace of governance.”
Continuing, Nwankwo reasoned that “there is consistent realization to bring to birth a social movement capable of creating the needed spark for genuine people’s engagement for a social transformation of our society.”
She, however , explained that the NSF is not an organization , but an open meeting place where groups and movements of civil society committed to building a Nigerian society centred on the human person come together to pursue their thinking , to debate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action.
Social movements, she went on, are forms of expression of the struggles of those who were excluded and impoverished by the system challenging their exclusion and impoverishment , pointint out that they forms of class struggle waged by the exploited and oppressed against their exploiters and oppressors.
Nwankwo further made it clear that at the end of the 3-day forum, the participants drawn from different parts of the country including people at the grassroots would come up with an action plan on how best to ensure good governance in Nigeria.
Also speaking with journalists later, the Director, Justice, Development and Peace Commission, Catholic Diocese of Ijebode, Ogun state, Rev. Fr. John Patrick Ngoyi, regretted that the three region structure put together by the colonial masters
