The Action Democratic Party (ADP) said on Saturday Nigeria is not a failed state despite its numerous challenges.
The ADP National Chairman of ADP, Mr. Yusuf Sani, stated this at a news conference in Abuja.
The conference was organised by the party on the state of the nation.
Sani, who said Nigeria’s challenges included the decline in economy and insecurity, added that the problems were not peculiar to the country.
He said many developed countries had been confronted with similar or worse situations in the past.
The ADP chief said how the Federal Government handles the challenges would determine the country’s progress.
Sani said: “Nigeria is not a failed state. It still has all it takes, both the potential and opportunities, to get back on its feet.
“If the challenges are addressed properly, there would be a boost in democracy and governance.”
He said the country’s experience with Boko Haram insurgency should be a lesson on how “a little flicker of fire must be put out in good time before it develops into a raging inferno.”
The ADP chief also urged the federal government to quickly address the problem of banditry and kidnapping in the country.
He called for constitution of a judicial panel of inquiry to probe all former service chiefs for alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of funds especially those meant for the purchase of arms and ammunition.
He added: “We want the President to declare a state of emergency across the country on insecurity; service chiefs should be deployed to the highly disturbed zones.
“The ADP also calls for immediate probe of the NNPC on fuel subsidy and refineries’ turn-around maintenance at the projected cost of $1.5 billion for Port Harcourt refinery, among others.
“The National Assembly should succinctly perform its constitutional oversight function with regard to funds appropriated to the Armed Forces and acquit itself of the perception of complacency and complicity.”