By Sam Asoluka

The Director-General of Atiku Leadership Development Initiative (ALDI), Honourable Okechukwu Dominic Nwuzor was in London recently to launch ALDI. In this interview with The AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE, the DG spoke on a number of issues and why Nigerians in Diaspora should support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the forthcoming PDP Presidential primary

 

What is Atiku Leadership Development Initiative (ALDI)

Atiku Leadership Development Initiative (ALDI) is the idea of myself and my friends, Alhaji Shehu Buba Umar who is from the North and another from the East, Chinedu Okoye who’s an Engineer. We came together to think about the way we can have a support group, a modern-day support group that its main interest is to see that the life of the common man is affected positively.

We used the name Atiku because in the past three decades Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been fighting for Nigeria’s democracy. We believe and see him as a Democrat, that’s why we have him there as Atiku Leadership Development Initiative. The most important is to see credible and patriotic leaders. That is why our Motto is: Positively influencing and Breeding Patriotic leaders. Our Mantra is: Affecting the life of the common man Positively. That is why we formed the Association.

We are interested more in professional people both at home and in the Diaspora who believe in service to humanity. In life, we were all born through birth and one day, we all will exit through death. So you ask yourself, what are you giving while you are living. The leaders being the ones that lead the country like Nigeria, we need to take that responsibility of making sure that they churn out policies that will affect the life of the common man positively.

In time, we are working to be one of the main groups, so that when we endorse you as a candidate, whether you are going for House of Representatives, whether you are going to be a Governor, Senator,  or President, immediately we endorse you, it means you are a credible leader.

Nigeria lacked one thing in the last two Republics – a visionary leader. In the candidature of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, we saw visionary leadership defined by these four Cs and four Rs qualities. The four Cs are – Credibility, Competence, Capacity and Compassion.  And the four Rs are; Responsible, Resolute, Resilient and Reliable. All these qualities can be validated by his long-standing successes in the public and private sectors spanning over forty years. Which he will bring to bear by the Special Grace of the Almighty God if he is elected the President of the Federal  Republic of Nigeria in 2019. Nigerians will then smile and he will get Nigeria working again.

A FEW DAYS AGO YOU LAUNCHED ALDI IN A BIG WAY IN THE UK: WHAT ACTUALLY DO YOU EXPECT NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA TO DO IN RELATION TO ALDI

There is light and there is darkness. If you see the light you join the light. ALDI has come to stay in the 2019 election, that’s next year. ALDI will stay till 2023, 2027, 2031 and so on. It’s now in your hands. I once lived in the Diaspora, I knew how it was and why I left my country for overseas. Nobody anywhere would say he or she doesn’t love home. If the basic amenities, the enabling environment are put in place, I know a lot of us would want to return home.

I can tell you, in the last three years, for most of you in the Diaspora, the calls you receive from home for money for feeding, school fees, house rent, all these things are the indicators, the indices to tell you that there is a big economic meltdown in Nigeria. That people are really suffering, that people are going through hell. Instead of the Diaspora people to be sending money home for investment like they used to do many years ago, they now send money for consumption. So, I ask this question; which way Nigeria? 

These and all, I will like to call on the professionals to join ALDI, it’s your call. Don’t say it’s for them the government, don’t say it’s for them the politicians because Nigeria belongs to every one of us. We have to come together to make things to work. That is why I am urging all the Nigerian professionals living overseas, those representing us positively in the UK, the way the country has recognised them, please it’s a clarion call, Atiku Abubakar project is a National Project.

Let us think about the National interest above our selfish interests. I urge you all to enjoin and spread this message. Support groups should not be seen as people who rent a crowd. In ALDI we have found a good support group more or less like an NGO that will even outlive Atiku Abubakar, that will live to stand the test of time, that their main call or job is to make sure that credible leaders fill the best position in governance so that things can get better for the country, Nigeria.

 

WHAT SHOULD NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA EXPECT FROM AN ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR LED GOVERNMENT

Well, we are not sharing anything. Nigeria is your home. Most of us who live outside contribute to the development of the nation in different ways.  Like the spokesperson has just said, if elected, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will extend hands in an all-inclusive government – 30% women and 40%  young people. If you know what you are doing, that you can contribute to the development of the nation, he will open hands to you. And those that require training will be given the opportunity.

And for us in ALDI, we are going to pick about forty people from the Diaspora who will come back home and have a meeting with His Excellency Atiku Abubakar. They will tell His Excellency what they are doing overseas and once they have content, I can tell you, he will not look down on them. He’s one person that believes in human capital development. He will look at them, listen to them and take their ideas and act on them so far it will bring about or lead to the development of our dear country, Nigeria.

WHAT ARE YOUR PARTING WORDS TO NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA

Now that INEC has released their timetable and the PDP has chosen the 6th of October, for their Presidential primary election. All of you in the Diaspora have a big role to play in deciding who wins the primary. Your brothers and sisters are living back home, you know the truth, you have seen the way it’s done in developed countries. Please pick up your phone, call home, tell them that it’s important that they put national interest above personal interests for the betterment of our dear nation, Nigeria.

 That they should know that A vote for Atiku Abubakar, is a vote for self. A vote for Atiku Abubakar is a vote for the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. People are weeping, people are crying. The spate of killing and insecurity are on the rise, brain drain is on the rise. It is you people in the Diaspora that provide for a lot of your family members back home. Do your best to call them. It is in our hands if we do so. And together we all can make Nigeria work again. 

Thank you very much.