Lagos, Nigeria, 2 March 2010
The Future Project Nigeria , organisers of The Future Awards, finds it necessary to make a public statement clarifying that it is no way associated with a group called The Future Nigeria group (FNG), which has recently expressed support for aides of the president whose actions have essentially subverted the constitution.
Amongst other thing, this organisation, which claims to be speaking for young people, has said that ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua did not commit any offence or breach the constitution by not appearing in public five days after his return from Saudi Arabia . The group also says that there is no crisis in the country and commended the wife to the president, Turai Yar’Adua, for her conduct in the past few months.
“Whilst we agree with their constitutional rights in making these statements, we make bold to disagree sharply with their comments, as we strongly believe that there is a cabal around the Presidency that has been working against the interests of Nigerians,” said the project’s creative director, Chude Jideonwo. “We find it necessary to make this bold dissociation after we received very concerned mails from young people, our partners and other stakeholders who wondered if our values have changed.”
The Future Project expressed its surprise at the actions and the formation of this group as The Future Nigeria is a registered trademark of The Future Project. TheFutureNigeria.com is also their registered website. They therefore characterised this appropriation by FNG, which is headed by a former adviser to President Obasanjo, as a deliberate ploy to employ the goodwill and the relationship of trust they have built with the Nigerian public to serve narrow interests.
“For the avoidance of doubt, The Future Project joins the overwhelming majority of young people in expressing outrage at the events of the past few months,” Jideonwo said. “It appears that the president is incapable of discharging the functions of his office, and in that case, the executive council of the federation should urgently so declare, so that we can go beyond this constitutional crisis. We cannot understand why, instead of concentrating on the fuel crisis, electoral reform and electricity, our leaders are instead focused only on feathering their nests. Enough is enough!”
According to them, they have initiated moves with relevant government agencies to clarify how this conflict in names could arise in the first place, and assured followers and other well meaning Nigerians that they remain resolutely committed to the Nigerian enterprise and have no intentions of aligning ourselves with corrupted values or any process not founded on integrity, good conscience and the development of the youth.
“This has in fact also challenged us to mobilise young Nigerians to send a clear message to the government and politicians that enough is indeed, enough,” Jideonwo added.
The Future Project, which has strong presence in at least 8 states of the federation and 3 countries outside Nigeria , is the organiser of the yearly The Future Awards, which has distinguished itself as Nigeria ’s most respected youth event. The last edition held in February in Lagos . The Keynote Speaker was the World Bank managing director, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Other guests included the first lady of Lagos State , Abumbola Fashola, the deputy governor, Sarah Bisi Sosan, Prof. Pat Utomi, Prof. Dora Akunyili, amongst others.
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