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NBA Conference: Atiku knocks Buhari

•Obi, Shettima proffer pathway to economic recovery

By Olusegun Olanrewaju
The 62nd Annual General Conference (AGC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) kicked off yesterday at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, amid a hail of positions by eminent guests, including top politicians.

Prominent among those who addressed the august gathering this august were the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, as well as the vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima, who represented his leader, Bola Tinubu.

Themed “BOLD Transitions”, the 2022 NBA AGC, and the general conference was billed to hold between August 19 and 26.

At the opening ceremony yesterday, some state governors, particularly Solomon Lalong (Plateau) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo) were also present.

There were also Lagos State Attorney-General, Moyosore Onigbanjo, who was representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as well as the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Kazeem Alogba.

The keynote speaker at the event is the award-winning Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie.

Speaking at the opening, PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, lamented that every negative thing is now happening in Nigeria today.

According to him, since 1999, Nigeria had never experienced such levels of poverty, insecurity, and unemployment.
Atiku, a former vice-president, said, “Since the return of democracy in 1998/99, Nigeria has never found itself in such a very critical point in our history.

He said, “Today, we have had all the negative indices. Today, we are all disunited in the nation. We have never experienced this level of poverty.

We have never experienced this state of insecurity. We have never experienced this level of unemployment. We have recognised all these negative developments in our history.”

PHOTOS: Atiku, Peter Obi, Shettima attend NBA AGM in Lagos

Atiku added that history now beckoned on Nigerians to tackle the negative developments, noting, “This is where history and experience beckon on us to make sure that we don’t get it wrong at this point, otherwise, if we get it wrong, I don’t know when we will ever get it right.

“I have been involved in the struggle to return this country to democracy in the time of military days.

“I can even say I was even lucky to be alive because so many of my contemporaries have been killed in this struggle but by the grace of God I have survived till this point in time.”

On his Twitter page, Atiku also posted yesterday that he was at the NBA conference to give lawyers insights into his bold policy.

“I used the opportunity of the first plenary session of the 62nd NBA conference to give Nigerian lawyers an insight into my bold policy framework that embodies unity, security, economy, education, and devolution of power to states and local governments.
“Known by the acronym of Unity-SEED, I stressed how interconnected these five policy prescriptions are. I assured them that a new Nigeria of our dreams is possible in the hands of a bold man of experience. -AA,” he tweeted.

“I am a product of developed powers, and I know what the regional governments did with those powers. That’s why I’m advocating for restructuring,” he added.

*Obi, Shettima proffer pathway to economic recovery

On his part, the presidential candidate of the LP, Peter Obi, identified what he tagged ‘important areas’ that Nigeria must tackle ‘aggressively’ for a greater economy, especially investment in intangible assets such as education and power, which, he noted, are critical for an economic renaissance.

“What we need to do is the two most intangible assets: security; and law and order. Provide a conducive environment to attract investors, then education and power. The economy is driven by these intangible assets,” he said.

In his submission, the vice-presidential candidate of APC, Shettima, said that the administration of the party’s presidential candidate, Tinubu and himself, will replicate the achievements recorded by Tinubu in Lagos if they both win the 2023 presidential election.

Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, asked Nigerians “to follow the man that knows the road.”
Speaking at a panel session held at the event, Tinubu’s running mate said, “Nigerians can see through the worn-out rhetoric and sophistry of pretentious politicians.

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“Nigerians should follow the man ‘wey’ know the road. From day one, we will hit the ground running. We’ll promptly address the issue of the economy, ecology, and security.

“And we have the antecedents. I built some of the best schools in Nigeria. Go to Borno and see wonders; you will never believe that it is a state in a state of war.

“So, we are going to replicate our achievements in Lagos, Borno, and some of the frontline states so that our nation will be a better place. The fundamental issue is pure leadership.”

Renowned novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, was also present at the event and was billed to address the participants.

She said Nigeria is currently in disarray and requires heroes who can take bold decisions to save the country.

Delivering the keynote speech at the conference, Chimamanda said: “Nigeria is in disarray. Things are hard and getting harder by the day. We can’t be safe when there is no role of law.

“Nigerians are starved of heroes to look up to. The late Dora Akunyili and Gani Fawehimmi were heroes that Nigerians looked up to before now. Unfortunately, that era has gone. I believe that the NBA is in a position to give the national heroes that we can look up to lead the nation.”

 

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