ZERO DRAFT OF PROPOSED MANIFESTO FOR DISCUSSION

• We urge you to come and join with us in a thorough and exhaustive debate of this proposed manifesto of the proposed alternative party to take back our country from this alliance and coalition of rogues, treasury looters, and cabals............Establish discussion groups around the draft manifesto and send in your comments and inputs. These discussion groups will eventually become integral structures of the emergent party........

  
  

    

  
  

  Released for mass circulation and discussion Reach us with comments and inputs at the contact details below

   
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  TAKE BACK NIGERIA

  .......RECLAIMING OUR HUMANITY/NIGERIA FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION.......

  
  

  BEING THE MANIFESTO OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR SOCIALIST RECONSTRUCTION [DPSR]

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:

  Our party derives from a call issued to challenge activists to step out, take up the epochal challenge of establishing a radical, left alternative political platform to challenge the treacherous, treasury looting and kleptomaniac ruling class for political power.

  
  

  FROM PROTEST TO POWER, STREET TO SERVICE:

  A CLARION CALL TO ACTIVISTS AND COMPATRIOTS FOR URGENT POLITICAL ACTION TO SALVAGE OUR COUNTRY NIGERIA!

  BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

  For a generation the world has been passing through tumultuous and chaotic times, defined and characterised by the most severe and all embracing systemic crises of the global capitalist system. The crisis is at once a food, financial, economic, environmental/ecological, social and political one. And rather than abate it has continued to deepen since its dramatic emergence with the food price crisis of 2007 and the epochal collapse of Leyman Brothers, signaling the collapse of the financial system in 2008.

  Since its inception, the crisis of the global market system has led to not only the dramatic collapse followed by bailouts of large corporations, but also of whole national economies – Iceland, Ireland, Greece, and the struggling and near collapsed Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian economies. The Eurozone crisis has become the most enduring emblem of this global crisis.

  In Nigeria, this deep rooted crisis of neo-liberalism is compounded by the epochal ineptitude, political and economic incompetence, as well as the selfish pecuniary interests of a parochial, provincial, pedestrian, and thieving treasury looting ruling class and political elite.

  This disastrous infliction on the nation includes loss of one million industrial jobs with closure of over 1,000 industrial enterprises over a 10 year period; industrial capacity utilisation wavering around 35%; fratricidal hostilities bordering civil war; continuing ethno/religious strife orchestrated by the counter mobilisations of ethnic and religious fractions/factions of the ruling class; and increasing impoverisation of overwhelming majority of the toiling citizens. According to the most recent data from the government’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 62.5% of Nigerians live in absolute/abject poverty, while 70% live in relative poverty (that is 101/112 million out of a population of 166 million); rising unemployment (over 25% national average, and over 33% for youths); rising inflation and its attendant rising cost of living and decreasing condition of living of citizens; and even more significantly the organised unconscionable looting of the treasury that has now reached alarming unsustainable scale. Over 2.5 trillion Naira was lost to fraud in revelations between January 2011 and May 2012 alone. This figure is more than 50% of the annual federal budget, an alarming equivalent of the annual national budgets of virtually all the ECOWAS countries combined!

  HOW THE EXPLOITED, OVER BURDENED AND IMPOVERISHED RESPONDED

  Across the world the response of the ruling classes have been to increase the hardship of the exploited and oppressed working peoples, by shifting the burden of the stabilization and recovery of the global economy to the subordinate classes. The response of the impoverished, unemployed, overexploited and politically unrepresented majority of the citizens has been a massive global wave of resistance, which has produced the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region); the general strike and anti-austerity resistance movement in Europe that has led to the collapse of sitting governments: Greece, Ireland, Ice Land, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, UK, Netherlands, etc.

  While the fall from power of Benedine Ali, Mubarak, and Gadaffi has been quite dramatic; the governmental collapse in Greece and Italy, as well as the most recent electoral outcomes in France and Greece (where anti austerity parties were voted into power or received the largest share of the votes), have been no less dramatic.

  In Nigeria, the response of the Ruinous Ruling Class, compounded by the need to raise revenue to cover up the previous unprecedented scale of looting of the treasury and refill the treasury in order to ensure a sustainable basis for treasury looting engendered and produced THE HISTORIC JANUARY UPRISING – The most wide spread and national (across more than 55 cities]; longest lasting (one week of general strike and 12 days of mass street protests); as well as most successful general strike and Mass Action in the history of Nigeria.

  WHAT IS TO BE DONE? A CALL TO DUTY AND ACTION!

  Evident from the global experience of the Arab spring, the political convulsions in Europe, and our experience in the January Uprising are:

  ·         A definite and clear-cut alternative to deprivation, autocracy and the political and economic brigandage of the global ruling class must be built.

  ·         This clear-cut alternative must be politically organised and must seek political expression; this alternative must eventually take on the ruling class and contest for power.

  ·         This clear-cut alternative cannot be provided by, nor organised and led by the current political elites; neither their conservative nor progressive/social democratic wings. This particular point is even more poignant in Nigeria where both wings of the ruling class have collectively looted the treasury and governed with impunity as brigands in power.

  ·         This clear-cut political alternative which will reorganize society and implement an alternative economic policy framework that will prioritise people over profits, and wellbeing over growth; can only be organised by the elemental forces central to the organisation, mobilisation and coordination of the global resistance in each country. Here, the experience of Greece is very instructive in the rise and emergent electoral superiority of the radical left; an experience already presaged and buttressed in the victories on the organised radical and popular left movements in Latin America, in country after country since the last decade.

  ·         The most significant lesson of this moment in world history is that only by building a mass political protest and resistance movement can the decades/centuries old grip of the discredited ruling class/ruling political elite on power be broken. In this regard, we commit to deepening the mass resistance on the streets and in the workplaces, consolidating on the gains of the January Uprising in building such a party.
  
  Without this mode of party building, as has been shown by recent experience in the Arab Spring (with victories for conservative Islamist Parties) and most recently in France (with victory for the Social Democratic Socialist Party); only the historically established parties of factions and fractions of the ruling class, forced by circumstance to be critical of the ongoing austerity based onslaught of the ruling elites, will become the political and electoral beneficiary of the mass resistance occasioned by the popular anger! It is thus incumbent on us to build a party that will deepen the protest movement and as well be capable of transforming street anger into political power.

  It is in the light of the foregoing, and seizing the moment, by taking advantage of the global balance of class forces, that we issue this clarion call to all activists and compatriots agitated by the condition of our country; radicalized by the January Uprising, and desirous of salvaging our country, to begin a nationwide discussion and effort to build an alternative toiling people focused, popular mass based political platform to challenge the ruling political elite for power.

  The clear lesson taught by the recent global experience of opposition to bad governance, economic incompetence and political brigandage, is the urgent need to make the transition FROM PROTEST TO POWER; FROM STREET TO SERVICE!

  On our part, we are fully committed to the emergence of such a party, and in collaboration with as many activists and compatriots that believe in the necessity of this course of action, to soon produce and circulate a MANIFESTO for such a party.

  We call on every Nigerian active and radicalized by the January Uprising to heed this call to action and join us in the journey to RECLAIM OUR HUMANITY, REMAKE OUR COUNTRY AND TAKE IT BACK FROM THE ALLIANCE OF TREASURY LOOTERS AND ROGUES!

  Together we can and shall build this party and transform our country!

  
  

  ISSUED BY TAKE BACK NIGERIA INITIATIVE

  ·         ODOH DIEGO OKENYODO

  ·         OLUWOLE ELEGBEDE

  ·         GBENRO OLAJUYIGBE

  ·         TUNDE AREMU

  ·         JAYE GASKIA

  Contact:

  takebacknaija@gmail.com, 08091443322, 08033105107, 08023180493, 08055081933, 08033311478

  http://takebacknigeria.blogspot.com/
  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Take-Back-Nigeria-Protest-to-Power/405109956193921
  https://twitter.com/ProtestToPower
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  1.   Name

  The proposed name of our party is DEOMOCRATIC PARTY FOR SOCIALIST RECONSTRUCTION [DPSR]. Democratic; because at all times the party shall promote and actively encourage the full participation and involvement of members in the constitution of party organs, as well as in the decision making and decision implementation processes of the party [internal democracy]; Furthermore, the party shall at all times promote and actively encourage the full participation of all citizens not only in the election of the leaders of state institutions, and in the composition of state organs, but also in the formulation and implementation of policies and legisla tions central to ensuring participatory governance at all levels.

  Socialist Reconstruction because as a party we are committed to the equitable redistribution of wealth; the promotion of social justice and equity, the recovery of ill-gotten wealth and looted funds from the treasury; the prosecution and punishment of corruption and treasury looting; the provision and guarantee of access to basic social services and infrastructures by all citizens regardless of status, origin, conviction, gender or age etc. Furthermore, while promoting wealth creation, we are committed to closing the gap between the poor and the rich in favour of the poor, while ensuring the all round development and empowerment of every sector of the population. This development and empowerment shall be of political, social and economic nature.

  2.   Motto    

  The proposed motto of the party is; Liberty, Equality & Justice For Social Transformation!

  3.   Pledge

  The proposed pledge for the party is: ‘Nigeria never through me shall come to any harm; The progress and development of every citizen shall i at all times promote; And to the reconstruction of a new nation based on social justice and equity shall i be committed.’

  4.   Vision.

  The vision of our party is ‘A country owned by her citizens; where each one can fully realise their full potential as human beings’.

  5.  Mission.

  The mission of the party is: ‘To enthrone participatory governance, accountability and transparency, peace and justice, with integrity and merit as the basis for leadership.’        

  6.  Core Principles.

  These will define what we stand for and will be the source of the group and party strategic direction. I suggest we look at this from three major areas, these are Political, Economic and Social.

  Our core principles define what we stand for as a party, and are the driver/source of our party strategic direction; They are centred around the following:

  A)   Accountability and Transparency as  basis for trust

  B)   Social Justice & Equity as benchmark for action

  C)   People & Popular participation at the centre of every decision

  With respect to the foregoing, these core principles include:

  
  

   6(a).  Political.

  (1)   Ideology:

  The party’s proposed ideology and ideological orientation is Democratic Socialism: Democratic because we shall at all times promote popular participation by all citizens; and Socialism, because we are a party for Social Justice and equity, one that shall at all times promote equality of access to basic services, social infrastructures, opportunities, and as well ensure not only the redistribution of wealth that is socially created, but also the drastic reduction in the gap between the rich and the poor. We shall at all times work towards the construction of a society where no one is left behind, excluded, or continues to be marginalised in a manner detrimental to the full realisation of their potential.

  (ii)  Dealing with Diversity  

   The history of our country has thrown up a lot of contentious issues that has only helped to aggravate tension. Managing the diversity has become more or less engaging with the tension that is to a very large degree the product of inept, incompetent and corrupt leadership over the decades. The reality however is that Nigeria is an emerging nation state composed of an amalgam different ethnic/national/socio-cultural entities at various levels of socio-economic development; Given this reality all stakeholders must be given a sense of belonging. How to create the all inclusive structure and maintain the diversity balance has been the challenge over the decades.

  In responding to this challenge of nationhood and nation-state building, some have even opined that the Nigerian nation-state does not yet exist because in its present form, can be observed  all the trappings of a failed state. They then recommend a process, and very urgent one, to lay the foundations for the emergence of a true Nigerian Nation-state through the convocation of a conference/constituent assembly whose decision will not be the subject of any review, addition and approval by any other state body, except a national referendum, hence the call for a Sovereign National Conference. 

  Others including the NASS have suggested the review of the 1999 constitution as it is.

  Our party shall on assumption of office work towards the convocation of a Sovereign Constituent Assembly, with representation based on social formations of citizens, not limited to ethnic formations, but also including Labour, Youth, women, other disadvantaged groups etc. This SCA shall also include representations from Independent Delegates Conferences [IDCs] of social formations which shall also be convened at state levels. The  recommendations of the SCA shall be validated in a national referendum, and shall then constitue the basis for a new Federal Constitution for Nigeria.

  Managing this crisis and tension amongst the “federating units” has also thrown up many initiatives including federal character, and the necessity to achieve a balance with merit.

  The issue for us is what come first:

  
  

  Merit/Federal Character /Federal Character/Merit;

  Our party shall promote the transparent implementation of the Federal character principle on the basis of merit, and in conjunction with merit. What this means is that Federal Character as a principle to ensure balanced representation and development among constituent units of the federation can only be lead to the achievement of its stated goal if it is seen as a time-bound affirmative avtion principle. In this regard, our party shall ensure that there is a time frame for the achievement of the lofyt objective of balanced development, while putting in place mechanisms to track and monitor progress towards meeting the stated goal. Furthermore in its implementation, our party shall ensure that merit shall form the basis of the implementation. Only qualified persons from the areas to be represented through the Federal Character principle shall be considered. Where it is difficult to meet the basic criteria defining merit, then the most qualified will be considered and put on special development program to enable such persons fulfil the merit criteria within a reasonable time frame.

  (iii) Regionalism/Constituent Units and the Centre.

  This is quite important in the face of the many military created states that are now mere expenditure centres without any capacity to undertake development initiatives. The problem is that most of the resources going to such states are only enough to cover administrative cost, and this taken together with the crass corruption in governance at all levels, leaves little or nothing to pursue development projects, which is the ultimate reason for the existence/creation of these structures.

  There is therefore a very urgent need for a radical review of the present structure, hence our party’s commitment to the goal of convening a Sovereign Constituent Assembly through constitutional means. Even though this might not be popular amongst certain political and business elites benefiting materially from the present failed structures, as a party we shall campaign on this issue and if we win the popular mandate we shall rigorously pursue the restructuring of the Nigeria Federation, to achieve equity, balance, and fiscal autonomy, as party of the integral process for reconstructing a Nigeria nation-state.

  (iv)Electoral process and selection of candidates

   In the words of the former long serving Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Yuan Hu, ‘intelligent people don’t wait, they either make it or they move on’; there is a very pressing and urgent need to create a level playing field. Internal democracy cannot be negotiable.

  There is need to develop detail criteria for election and selection of representatives.

  Our party commits to the development of such basic minimum criteria and guiding principles for the observance and enthronement of internal democracy in political parties. We shall lead by example. All party members shall be able to fully participate in decision making and implementation processes of the party, as well as in the election and appointment of party members into party organs, and in the selection of party members for external positions in which the party is seeking to be represented.

  (v)  Other Arms of Government

  A sampling of the legislative arm across the country present a costly and inefficient structure; we need to review the permanent nature of the legislature from Local to federal level. This will require delineation of wards and constituencies, with considerations given to not only geography, but also other criteria including social formations [labour for instance], demography, gender, disability, and marginalisation. The legislative arm at all levels shall be composed of elected legislators who shall be on part time basis. Legislators shall sit for approved number of days in a year for which they shall be paid. Furthermore all elected legislators must not only have operational constituency offices, but must also hold regular constituency forums with constituents. Our party shall ensure that the legislative arm is reformed along these criteria to enhance performance and participation and reduce the tendency towards inefficiency and unsustainable overheads.

  Our party shall also introduce as part of a comprehensive reform and restructuring of governance aimed at ensuring accountability and real representation, the community level tier of government. Communities shall be encouraged to have democratically constituted community governance structures which shall be formally recognised by the constitution.

  (vi) CITIZENSHIP & INDIGENEITY: Everyone who is giving birth to in Nigeria, or who has Nigerian parents shall be a Nigerian citizen entitled to all the full benefits of citizenship anywhere in Nigeria. Our party shall not only promote this doctrine, but shall also actively discourage the dichotomy introduced by self serving elites into the citizenship and indigene-ship status. Representation of an entity such as a state/constituent unit shall be on the basis of origin [including being born in the territory of such a state or entity] as well as on a proven continuous residency in such a state/entity over a period of 5 years in the minimum. This criteria of five years residency may be varied depending on the particular level of governance or on the particular arm of government or state institution.

  (vii) FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS: Our party shall promote the full realisation and guarantee of all human rights, be they civil and political, or economic, or socio-cultural rights. We shall operate from the principle that human rights are indivisible.

  In this regard we shall as part of the constitutional reform process, work towards making all fundamental human rights justiceable, subject to the demonstrated efforts of governments to ensure their progressive realisation.

  6(b)

  Economic

  Our Party shall promote economic policies based on its ideological orientation of democratic socialism. We shall promote and ensure not only adequate and conscientious state regulation of the economy, but also the active and proactive state participation in the economy under the framework of state leadership, which enhances democratic self management of the economy through promoting democratic participation and representation of all critical stakeholders in the overall management of the economy as well as in the management of each sector of the economy.

  Promoting democratic participation in the overall management of the economy and each sector of the economy means that our party that shall work towards the realisation of active stakeholder and citizens participation in the management and regulation of the economy. Stakeholders including communities where economic entities and processes are located or take place will have real opportunities in to participate in decisions which would or are likely to impact on them as owners, shareholders, workers, management, consumers, community residents etc.

  It is important to point out and emphasise the global historic failures of both the undemocratic state run economies [with the dramatic collapse of the USSR and Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 90s of the last century] and their cousins, the undemocratic private sector led economies [most recently in the ongoing no less dramatic economic and even political collapse being witnessed since the beginning of the current global crisis of capitalism in 2007]. In this regard, it is of great significance to our party that any modern economy should draw and integrate the lessons of the collapse of the two extreme variants of economic and political organisation of society: without democratic participation and involvement of citizens in their various roles and functions in the overall and sectoral management of the economy and polity; societies will evolve authoritarian and mono - (even oligo) polistic structures, with the attendant marginalisation, exclusion and exploitation of the overwhelming majority of citizens. The resultant effect will be increased poverty [for example in Nigeria as at 2011 over 69% of the population, more than 100 million people live in abject poverty]; widened gap between the rich and the poor [for example, Nigeria, a country of 160 million people, have 10 out of the top 50 richest Africans, and more than 100 million very poor people]; as well as economic collapse [Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Spain, Portugal] and severe political crisis [the Arab spring, the global Occupy Movement, the waves of general strikes across Europe, The January Uprising in Nigeria etc].

  i.   Agriculture and Agro Allied

  While the Federal government shall be responsible for setting minimum standards for all sectors of the economy and polity; however the full development of the realisation of the potential of the agriculture sector shall be within the exclusive preserve of the federating units/constituent units of the federation; subject only to the criteria of employment generation, support to farmers to access both the means of production and of distribution, and providing the basis for ensuring food security and securing raw materials for industrialisation, among others.

  ii.  Industrialisation and Sustainable Development

  Our party shall promote a focus on some core areas. These include, but is not limited to the following:

  (a)  Auto [including aeronautic and maritime]; Our party shall actively promote the development of a robust auto industry as a basis for the realisation of its program of developing basic road/land [including rail], air and water transport infrastructure and facilities. No economy can become successfully integrated and positioned to realise its full potential without transportation and communications development. A robust auto industry for the party means not only the manufacture and distribution of cars, trucks, railway engines and coaches, aircrafts and sea-crafts; but also the provision of the basic infrastructure to make possible their full utilisation for the benefit of the economy. This will also be part of a massive job creation program.

  (b)  (b)  Heavy Equipment: No economic development can be achieved without a heavy industrial basis. It provides the needed basis for any industrial take off. Ajaokuta, Oshogbo, Aladja, Kastina steel/industrial complexes are all laudable initiatives, but have remained comatose in the face of inept, corrupt, incompetent and confused leadership. Our party shall undertake programs to revive and expand the heavy industry program, not only as a means of laying effective foundation for industrial development, but also as a means of generating employment and drastically reducing poverty and the gap between the rich and the poor.

  (c)  Military Industrial Complexes (Plural Please!!) 

  For Nigeria that is a recognised regional [ECOWAS & AU] leader and aspiring to be UN Security Council permanent member. It is a sad commentary that we cannot even produce light arms. South Africa, our non-pretending competitor have a thriving arms industry that produce all kinds of light & heavy arms, includingarmoured personnel carriers, tanks and combat aircraft.  We cannot afford as a nation to be complacent in this vital area for both international respectability and economic development. Our party shall take appropriate steps to radically reform, restructure and reposition the military industrial complexes primarily starting with the Defence Industrial Coporation.

  (e) Energy & Power. It is a basic fact that a nation’s economy runs of energy and power. The provision of energy, as well as the generation and distribution of power is central to overall capacity of the economy. In this regard, our party shall carry out a radical overall of this twin sectors, routing out and punishing the corruption and ineptitude that has been the bane of the development of the sectors and the realisation of our real economic potential. It is important and decisive that power generation and distribution capacity be rapidly and consistently increased and improved over the shortest possible period of time; while the product and service is also made available, and accessible to Nigerians.

  With respect to energy, and gien the central nature of petroleum to the nation’s economy, similarly the party in government will carry out a drastic, radical, open and transparent reorganisation and reform of the sector. We shall ensure that within the lifespan of a single tenure in government that our nation achieves adequate self sufficiency in petroleum products refining capacity and distribution; while also prioritising the development of a robust petrol-chemical industrial complex to for the production of chemicals, fertilisers, plastics etc.

  (f)  ICT: In the era of global digital connectivity/interconnectivityNigeria needs a robust ICT sector and community deliberately supported and promoted by government intervention. In India, for example, no foreign developed software is allowed. Our party shall encourage this by promoting and ensuring access by all citizens, regardless of location or status to the active utilisation of the internet and mobile telephony technologies; while actively supporting and promoting the enhancement of popular participation in governeance through development of e-governance processes.

  iii.  Rural / Urban Planning

  The bulk of productive economic activities happen in the rural areas. It is also in the interest of the country to halt rural unban drift or migration. A clear policy on how to achieve this is not only important, but urgently needed.

  Though China still grapples with the problem, but it is a national policy to ensure that in any village in China, there are electricity, internet facility and quality education and health facilities; while efforts are also made to provide basic housing.

  Our party shall ensure the full integration of rural life into the national life, polity and economy of the country. It shall be a basic policy of governance for basic services health, education, housing, and nutrition], as well as basic infrastructures [roads/transportation, electricity, internet/ICT, storage, markets, etc] to be provided and extended to rural communities and urban slums.

  Our policy of promoting local participatory governance through introduction and strengthening of primary and formal community level democratic governments will go a long way in ensuring the realisation of these goals and development objectives. A formal democratic and representative community government means that there will be certain aspects of revenue generated within a community that is directly collectable by the community government to resource its activities. It also means that local government budgets will be articulated on the basis of aggregated community government needs and plans. Our overall goal in this drive is to reduce the disparity in the conditions between rural and urban life.

  Our party willalso actively promote, encourage and support the development and reform ofmaster plans for all towns and cities, including even villages for a systematic and balanced development. Such plans shall take into consideration the diversity in means and capacity of residents of such towns and cities, and ensure the development of conditions and processes and systems that make towns, cities, and even villages, places of comfortable abode for every strata of the citizenry and residents.

  iv. Human Capital Development

  In the era when our elites now more or less shamelesslysend our children to schools in Ghana & overseas to get quality education; and where the same elite go abroad to seek medical attention and care; we must have a robust strategy to revamp our education and health systems. Our party commits to the open, transparent and participatory development of such a strategy. In the first instance we shall undertake the radical reform of the sectors, while also undertaking the rapid rehabilitation, of the education and health facilities at all levels. Our goal is to ensure that every Nigerian has access to compulsory basic education up to secondary school level [including adult education for those above school going], as well as to basic health care delivery services. In the realisation of these, location, status, gender, demography [age], religious orientation, cultural orientation, ethnicity etc shall not be allowed as obstacles to the implementation of the policy.

  As a way to ensure the committement of government and citizens, in particular the elites, to the realisation of these goals, our party shall promote the banning of overseas basic schooling and basic medical treatment for all officials of government [elected and appointed, including in the civil service] and their relations.

  v. Transport and Transportation.

  As part of the development of basic infrastructure that is accessible to the citizenry our party shall prioritise rail and air transport for long distance travels through deliberate policy initiative that will actively develop rail and air travel systems and operations. In riverine areas, this shall include the development of river/maritime transport systems and facilities.

  Our party shall furthermore promote maritime, rail and air transport for the distribution and carriage of heavy cargoes. In addition, road, rail and air networks will be developed in a manner to integrate the entire national economy, promote national unity, and promote active interaction among peoples across the country.

  vi. Financial and Ancillary Services.

  Our party shall promote deep rooted reform of the financial sector, towards enhancing access to adequate and qualitative financial and ancillary services by all citizens.

  New financial services products that encourage the integration of the rural economies to the national economy as well as the integration of the informal and formal sectors of the economy shall be promoted and actively supported.

  Lagos is a natural hop for financial services in West Africa; it could claim such pre-eminence in Africa with proper policy support and strategy. We have a Lagos Mega City Plan that has been in and out of the shelf. We need to revive and review such a plan not only for Lagos, but for all our major cities.

  
  

  vii.       Tackling Poverty and Employment Generation.

  Our party shall undertake a massive works program aimed at rehabilitating and extending basic social services and infrastructure across the country and to ensure access by all.

  Such a program will necessarily involve the massive mobilisation and human, material and financial resources to achieve. Open, transparent and participatory implementation of such a policy will not only lead to the laying of solid foundation for national economic and human development, it will also lead to creation of employment opportunities for many millions of unemployed Nigerians. The overall outcome will be reduction in poverty levels, and drastic reduction in gap between poor and rich through the redistribution of national wealth.

  
  

  6(c)

  Social

  i.              General: The challenge is how to create and enduring social cohesion in the face of lingering crises emanating from the exploitation of existing cleavages. Nigerians now relate to themselves from point of hatred instead of love.

   Our party will actively promote national social cohesion through its economic and political policies which shall be based on participation and inclusivity.  By promoting enhanced and balanced development, by tackling poverty and ensuring access to basic services and infrastructures, and by employment generation, coupled with a new anti impunity culture of participatory governance, we are sure that the necessary building blocks for national social cohesion would be constructed.

  If we ensure that no one lacks the basics of existence, and no one suffers the loss of self esteem that comes with poverty, marginalisation and exclusion; we would be laying the foundation for social cohesion.

  Our party commits to the introduction of a social security system that will safeguard the vulnerable against poverty and exclusion, and that will include sociap protection safety nets appropriate for each type of exclusion or vulnerability.

  II.         Women empowerment; In particular our party commits to promotion of women empowerment through affirmative action. We shall promote specifically political [including representation in elected and appointed positions of governance] and economic [business ownership and effective membership of ownership and management structures of businesses] of women. In this regard, we shall be bound to an immediate implementation of the resolutions from the Berjin conference, and commit to ensuring the legislative and policy frameworks that enables this and as well charts a measurable pathway to achieving parity over a period of time.

  iii.   Youth Empowerment; Our party commits to the empowerment of youths, both politically and economically. Given the reality of the population demography. With a preponderance of youths under 35 years of age. The national youth policy shall be reviewed in this light. Unemployment among youth shall be actively combated, while the education and acquisition of necessary skills and competences among youths shall be actively promoted.

  iv.  Corruption, Crime and Insecurity;

  Our party is firm in its conviction regarding the dialectical link and dynamic between mind boggling corruption, endemic poverty, pervasive unemployment, and crippling crime and insecurity.

  We know that the shear scope and scale of a corruption that because it is carried on with impunity has become systemic; engenders a situation that constitutes a an obstacle to national development, improvement in the conditions of living of citizens, as well as any chance of improvement of the national economy.

  In the short to medium term, our party shall undertake immediate and comprehensive security sector reform, encompassing the police, armed forces, and other security agencies, aimed at making them more responsive, and repositioning them as instruments for the promotion of the security of the citizenry and their protection.

  We shall in particular introduce community policing, and put in place mechanisms to strengthen and improve civil-military relations and collaboration.

  We shall ensure that intelligence gathering based on the restoration and nurturing of a relationship of trust between citizens and security agencies, shall be at the heart of crime fighting and the prevention and mitigation of violent out breaks and social disorders.

  We shall work towards a situation where the security forces will operate under the oversight of citizens and communities.

  In the medium to long term, we shall implement socio-economic, and political policies which shall address the grinding and excruciating poverty, alienation, impunity in governance, and crushing joblessness that are the social roots of crime, violence and insecurity. It is these conditions which leads impoverished and psychologically traumatised citizens into crime, criminality and acts of social violence.

  Our guiding principle with respect to security sector reform and tackling insecurity shall be a paradigm shift from an emphasis on state security to one on human security; with the mantra that the guarantee of the security of citizens is the basis of the guarantee of state security, and the legitimising of the state.

  7. Membership Guidelines

  We are building a political party of a new type. Only aspiring members who share our principles as well as our ideological orientation shall be admitted into membership.

  Known and active members of the Nigerian political elite, who are all implicated in the mess that has become of our nation, and in the dragging of our nation to the edge of the precipice, shall not be admitted into party membership.

  The party shall operate at community/neighbourhood, local government, state, zonal [geo-political zones] and national levels, with corresponding structures and organs. The primary membership unit shall be at the community level.

  Without prejudice to the above, party membership is open to all Nigerians, irrespective of location, ethnicity, religious faith, gender, age, status, or condition [with respect to persons living with disabilities].

  On our part, as a party, we shall actively canvass membership among workers [in both formal and informal sectors], youths, women [in particular disadvantaged women], and from civil society [including organised social formations and citizens groups].

  
  

  8.  Fundraising.

  Since it a movement based party, it must be a membership organisation with the ownership in the hands of members. In the same vein funding would be so structured. Members would contribute to its running in terms of regular  membership payments dues, levies, registration etc]. Donations, with clear conditions will however be accepted from time to time; while specific fund raising activities within the ambit of existing legislations will also be undertaken.

  Need to develop a detail guideline.....

  9.  Campaign Strategy.

  The campaign strategy [both for membership and for elections] shall primarily be based on and rooted in this document [the party manifesto] as well as on the party constitution.

  A full fledged campaign strategy shall be developed by the party, and for this purpose there shall be a Party Campaign Strategy Committee, to lead on the development of the strategy and also manage the party’s campaigning activities.

  
  

  
  

  10.  Core Areas of Intervention. 

   There are five core areas of immediate intervention for our party. These five core areas shall be the foundation from which we shall seek to implement our full party manifesto. They constitute our 5 Cardinal Programs. These include;

  (i) Integrated Rural Development

  (ii) Free public education at all levels; and in particular access to compulsory and qualitative basic education up to secondary level, and addressing the issues of rights to and rights in education.

              (iii) Social Cohesion.

              (iv) Full Employment

  (v) Access to Basic health, basic nutrition and basic housing.

  Our core areas of intervention derive directly from the basic thrust of our party manifesto. In order to realise each of these basic core intervention goals, the party shall develop fully fledged policy and strategic frameworks for their implementation and actualisation.