Charly Boy led a
coalition of vexed, angry and frustrated Nigerians under the aegis of
#OccupyUnlimited and #BeTheChangeOrganisation on Thursday, November 10,
2016 to demand the removal of immunity clause from the constitution to
pave way for the prosecution of the president and governors whenever
they contravene the law and dip their hands in public purse.
While protesting against the high
profile looting of the national treasury by political office holders,
the organisation demanded urgent review of salaries/benefits for
politicians and part time legislature in the National Assembly.
They also demanded total compliance by
the National Assembly with government’s policy on Treasury Savings
Account; making National Assembly budget public; stopping of
constituency fraud and unicameral legislature that would ensure
scrapping of Senate.
The National Coordinator of the
coalition and ace showbiz promoter, Charles Oputa popularly called
Charly Boy aka Area Father and Co-Convener, Retson Tedheke, made the
demands during a press briefing in Abuja to unfold plans for a
nationwide mass protest beginning from November 15 (Tuesday next week)
at the National Assembly.
Oputa said he had mobilised 10,000
Nigerians for the protest adding that until Nigerians begin to change
their own attitude, nothing about governance or the system would change.
He said, “I know that in the past I have
been critical of government on ground. In the last regime of
ex-President Goodkuck Jonathan, he was seen as a very good man who was
too quiet and didn’t know what to do. And everybody did rubbish around
him. But in this current dispensation, we all know that Muhammadu Buhari
who is our President was elected or selected because of his past
credentials in the prosecution of the War Against Indiscipline.
“Now that he is in the office and
fighting corruption, the anti-corruption fight is not for one man. I
tried to look around his cabinet and the people around him to see if
they are all saying the same thing with him in the anti-corruption
campaign. But I don’t see them. I always have the interest of the youths
and have always said that the salvation of this county lies in the
hands of the exceptional youths.
“Until we begin to change our own
attitude, nothing about governance or the system will change. That is
why as the Area Father, I am just hosting you people. I recall that in
the 1970s when the youths use to enter the streets against military
government but somebody decided to factions the youths until they become
redundant. We need to retrieve our stolen future. We are going to give a
warning shot, test run the protest and sustain the tempo. I have
mobilised 10,000 Nigerians for the protest which will kick off next week
Tuesday (November 15) in the National Assembly.”
Tedheke said zonal mobilisation groups
would soon be inaugurated adding, “we are going to make the National
Assembly our camp for the next two weeks.”
He said, “We are a coalition of vexed,
angry and frustrated Nigerian. This country is so so richly blessed in
everything and also poor in everything. We are represented by men and
women who steal to survive and we praise them to high heavens. The
people who steal little things are burnt alive
“Beginning from November 15, we are
going to start a process of unlimited occupation; the politicians
believe that we are always tired but we are going to change the
narrative and make it a continuos process of engagement, we will never
be tired until things improve.
“Our target is the National Assembly,
Executive and Judiciary. The salary and allowances of all politicians
should be reduced by 70 percent. We have written to the Revenue
Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission and they have invited us
for a meeting.
“For the executive, they are not
monitoring the spending of public funds, especially the National
Assembly. They should open the books of NASS. The TSA is
constitutionally mandated to get all monies into the federation
account.”
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