Barely a week after Nigerians held a pro-government rally tagged I
stand with Buhari in Abuja , a coalition of Buhari Support Groups
held another rally of their own on Tuesday in Abuja in support of
President Muhammadu Buhari.
The coalition, Truth and Justice Movement of Nigeria, held the rally
under the banner: “I Support President Buhari”.
It said other legs of the rally would be held in Kano, Lagos and
Kaduna on Wednesday and Thursday.
One of the conveners of the rally, Moses Abdullahi, had disclosed in
Abuja on Sunday that the march would hold in Abuja on Tuesday, in
Kaduna and Kano on Wednesday, and the grand finale in Lagos on
Thursday.
In Abuja, members of civil society and political groups gathered under
the coalition at the Unity Fountain to trumpet the achievements of
President Buhari.
The participants were mostly women and youth and marched across some
major streets in the Federal Capital Territory, under the watch of the
police.
They said they were out to pass a vote of confidence on the Buhari-led
administration.
Co Convener of the groups, Johnson Ondoma, who spoke during the rally
said the march is to demonstrate to President Buhari that he has the
support of the people having fulfilled his promises to reinvent
Nigeria, and having defeated terrorism and corruption in the country.
“The rally is important because as commoners, we express ourselves
through public actions and not politicians and contractors who prefer
to discuss governance in the state houses and lobbies of hotels,” Mr.
Ondoma said.
He said despite repeated attempts to portray the Buhari administration
as not performing, Nigerians are aware that the administration in the
last two years has achieved far better than its predecessor in areas
of anti-corruption, infrastructure and security.
Citing the $1 billion EuroBond which was oversubscribed as the
beginning of good things to come, Mr. Ondoma said individuals who are
sincere would acknowledge the investment in infrastructure that is now
bringing improvement to roads and other critical national asset.
“Unlike in the past when the money for these road contacts were
usually shared and made to circulate round, the funds released are now
actually going into getting the jobs done.
“If people are not getting slush funds passed down to them, it means
they have to review their personal economic activities within the
reality of an anti-corruption era.
“There have also been several social security programmes being
implemented by the government to ensure that economically
disadvantaged people are not left to weather the difficulties they are
facing alone. This has never happened before and it is something we
should be objective enough to commend,” he said.
He also said President Buhari’s anti-corruption fight has exposed big
thieves among the populace.
