NNPP to unveil its maritime agenda to Nigerians soon

• Kwankwaso to storm Lagos for action

By Ray Ugochukwu

Any moment from now the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, will unveil the party’s maritime sector agenda to stakeholders and Nigerians.

The party’s Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, made this known on Monday in a chat with journalists at the Roundtable talkshow of the Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN) held in Apapa, Lagos.

Aniebonam, who did not disclose the actual date f the event, however said the forum would be a townhall session where NNPP, as a party, would enter into a social contract with stakeholders on its transformation agenda for the sector.

He made this disclosure while reacting to a question on his party’s agenda for the maritime sector since the NNPP is an offshoot of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), which he founded.

Aniebonam

In his words, “As the Founder of NNPP and NAGAFF, I can assure you that maritime will be in the front burner if we come to power. Don’t worry, very soon, I mean very soon, Kwankwaso will be in Lagos to unveil our party’s manifesto on maritime.

“The forum will be NNPP’s social contract with maritime stakeholders when it comes into power come 2023.

“Just look at trucks parking on the Ijora bridge; is that place a truck park? What kind of system are we operating? Do you think that this nonsense will continue if NNPP comes to power and I’m here? No! This nonsense must stop!

“The whole port system is not working. If you disagree with me, tell me what is working? Is the CRFFN that they have converted to an agency of government, using it to collect money for themselves? Is it the clearing of goods with the Customs that is working? Name it, which is working?

“Do you think as the BoT Chairman and Spiritual leader, if NNPP comes to power tomorrow and I’m here that all these nonsense will continue? It’s because of things like these that we formed NNPP 21 years ago. If you want to effect a change in a system, you can only do so by fighting from the inside and not outside. Just watch out!”

On the cause of the collapse of the merger talks between his party and Labour Party (LP), Aniebonam explained that NNPP never contemplated going into any deal with any counterpart, pointing out that it was at the instance of others.

He however added that as at the time the idea was mooted, it was already late as the parties had grown beyond what the two candidates, Kwankwaso and Peter Obi respectively, could decide alone.

The NNPP chieftain all the same saw the development as a good one for the country, saying it had given an added boost to multi-party democracy in the country.

He said in all that had happened politically, it showed that God had a hand in it as he imagined how his little unknown struggling NNPP suddenly became the toast of many through the coming on board of the Kwankwasiyya Movement exponent and same for the LP through Obi.

Aniebonam also wished that the Rivers State governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had toed same line by adopting another small party to pursue his presidential ambition, saying that would have galvanized the system better with its multiple choice offering.

“The time for the merger was too short for any meaningful impact. Remember, it wasn’t the NNPP that initiated the move. It was Doyin Okupe and his people when they visited Kwankwaso in Abuja. However, by the time the idea came up, the parties had grown beyond the two candidates.

Kwankwaso

“You see, God has a hand in all that is happening in Nigeria today. Look at the little known NNPP that has been struggling since 21 years now suddenly becoming a party of choice. See how the emergence of Peter Obi as the Labour Party flag bearer has also shot up the popularity of the party.

“How I wish our dear friend, Wike with all his popularity and resources, had adopted another small party to pursue his presidential ambition. Nigerians would have been presented with many choices from where to pick their leader”, Aniebonam remarked.

On why his party did not settle for a South-east candidate according to the clamour from that part of the country, he said zoning was the internal arrangement the People Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC).

For, the NNPP, he made it clear that they had not tasted power as to start talking of zoning but made it clear that “the mode of Nigeria presently is to have a visionary leader, no matter where he comes from, who can unite everybody into one for the overall interest of all”.

He said that was why the party picked Kwankwaso to be its leader and assured Nigerians that as a highly focused detribalized Nigerian, he would give the country the best if elected in 2023.

The Anambra State born business man therefore called on all Nigerians to rally round the NNPP to support it for the rescue mission it has decided to embark in the interest of the country and the citizens.