A member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sonny Iwedike Odogwu, has called on all national award honorees to join hands with President Goodluck Jonathan in his efforts to contain the scourge of terror in the North eastern part of the country. He made the appeal recently in Asaba where he hosted all cleared gubernatorial aspirants of his party in Delta State.
Chief Odogwu, a founding member of the PDP and one of Africa’s most successful businessmen, cautioned a section of Nigerian elite who have continued to fuel the trauma of terror in the north by their incendiary and needlessly critical remarks, adding that what the President and the Federal Government need at this moment is support and assurance from the people, not condemnation.
He said: “Let me seize this opportunity to thank our President and leader of our party, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, for his positive leadership which has translated to good governance across all sectors of human endeavour in spite of global disturbances of terrorism which, unfortunately, has spread across some countries in Africa and elsewhere. The entire world leaders, including President Goodluck Jonathan, are still battling against terrorism. Let us assist him and the peace-loving people of the world with continuous prayers for peace, love and tranquility, especially in Nigeria, being the largest black nation. His statecraft, humaneness and temperance have contributed immensely to the stability both within the PDP and the country at large”.
He urged all national award holders to lead the charge in condemning the acts of terror, stressing that silence and undue criticism of the efforts of the government have continued to embolden the masterminds of terrorism in the country. Chief Odogwu who holds the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), the third highest national honour in Nigeria, said this is an auspicious time for all national award honorees to display their patriotism, nationalism, public-spiritedness and those sterling qualities which got them the honours in the first place.
“We must not sit in the comforts of our homes and do nothing; we must not join forces with those who are determined to make political capital out of the terror war by mindlessly criticizing every effort of the federal government. The national honours conferred on us at various times have placed on us the responsibility and commitment to our dear country. Let us as individuals and as a collective body of men and women of honour encourage Mr President and the security personnel who have stayed in the frontline to safeguard our territorial integrity. The onslaught of terror is not a war against President Jonathan or the PDP. It is a war against Nigeria and winning it must require our collective efforts”, he said.
Chief Odogwu, who holds the title of Ide Ahaba lamented the rot which corruption has brought to bear on the nation at all levels, but he was optimistic that the efforts of the federal government and the growing enlightenment among the people to imbibe the virtues of life and eschew vices of all shades would help in curbing the trend.
He said: “Let us therefore join hands with the President to fight and destroy, once and for all, this terrible monster called corruption, which still rears its head in our society. We should not allow this monster to continue to destroy those basic principles of nationalism and Africanism that gave birth to African democracy which the entire World has gracefully embraced”.
