Patriots of the National Consultative Front (NCFront), Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba and Prof. Pat Utomi, have charged Nigerians to take back their country, reminding them that the time has come to show they hold the power and the future of the nation is in their hands.

The movement’s joint chairmen in separate presentations at a virtual press conference which held simultaneously yesterday in Abuja and Lagos, urged the people to join forces with the movement for the nation to rise again.

In his talk, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives said the current democratic system has fallen short of expectations of Nigerians, submitting: “Over the past two decades of our new democratic experience, we have had to watch our dear country, with dismay, disappointment and utter shock, as it slides into anarchy, collapse, ruin and rot. The promise that democracy held for us has become elusive. The country has been left to drift.”

He said, “hardly could any sector of the country be said to be working, as government seems ineffectual, irresponsive and incompetent.”

Na’Abba added: “Unemployment, particularly among our youths, has reached unprecedented levels, while unnecessary loss of human lives due to insecurity has become a recurring decimal with scores of Nigerians being killed on a daily basis. Our indebtedness, both internal and external, has reached alarming proportions with the attendant virtual collapse of social and physical infrastructure, leading to pervasive and grinding poverty. The way and manner governance is conducted suggests a high degree of irresponsibility at all levels.”

Expressing doubt over the nation’s indivisibility, he stated: “The general feeling across the land today is that of delusion, hopelessness and helplessness. The agony of Nigerians about the deplorable state of our nation is palpable and worrisome. The feeling also on the part of many Nigerians is that the days ahead as a country are numbered.”

To salvage the situation, Na’Abba said his group would create an inclusive democratic political platform to groom and provide opportunities for Nigerians to contest elections in a competitive process as well as educate and re-orientate the electorate against being manipulated by self-serving politicians in addition to wide consultations to get a constitution that “may work for our country to the benefit of all Nigerians.”

He said the people would equally be mobilised for their economic well-being and prosperity in line with Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

To the professor of political economy, the movement hopes to see a regeneration of Nigeria into an era of citizen-politician dedicated to a production economy and escape from misery.

Utomi hinted that “NCFront’s desire is that on September 15, the day the United Nations resolved in 2007 to set aside for reflection to strengthen and consolidate democracy, we will have a country-wide event of ‘light in darkness’ to draw attention to threats to democracy not only in Nigeria where fascism is in the ascendance, but across our region where several old presidents who should be retiring to life of wise counsel from country homes are now doctoring constitutions they helped bring about to stay on in power.”