National Interest Party (“NIP”) started with social media revision interactions of students of the Nigerian Law School in the 2015/2016 set. The Facebook and WhatsApp discussion groups involved students from the six campuses of the Nigerian Law School, with each student contributing their quota to help others pass the law school program at first sitting. Most of the participants achieved this aim.
Soon after law school, other platforms were created out of the revision platform to figure out ways to effect lasting solutions to the problems faced by ordinary Nigerians. This led to the decision to form a political party. The platform started expanding its network to include graduates from all fields, members of the National Youth Service Corps throughout the country, business men and women of like mind, former and current politicians perceived to be incorruptible, religious chieftains etc.
Debates for the constitution and manifesto of the party started on WhatsApp in October 2016 and the application bundle for registration as a political party was filed with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in May 2017. NIP was recognised and registered as a political party in Nigeria on 14 December 2017.
The main purpose of forming NIP is to drive progress in Nigeria by consciously seeking, and bringing credible and highly patriotic Nigerians to power using digital media. At NIP, we believe Nigeria will fare best when we replace the less qualified and highly self-centred leaders we have, with better qualified selfless men and women of integrity, who hold fairness and accountability very high. Considering the limited resources open to us, we decided the best option was to use the power and magic of the internet to achieve our aims. This led to the choice of registering as a technology driven political party.
NIP is a group of like-minded Nigerians of all ages, backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, creed, tribes, educational and professional qualification or none thereof – every of our differences as a people is well represented. We formed this formidable, national, broad-based, people-oriented and highly principled political party to work relentlessly for the restoration of true democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
NIP will only put forward exceptional talents who have been thoroughly vetted for criminal behaviour, character, and community service involvements for elections in Nigeria. NIP is a platform for people who are willing to work very hard for the betterment of every Nigerian in whatever part of the world they may be located. People who are united in the quest for a better Nigeria for every Nigerian irrespective of our differences. People who do not care about our different ethnic origins, religions, creeds, languages, tribes etc. People who will pursue building an all-inclusive Nigeria with the sincerity of purpose that has eluded us in nearly six decades of independence. NIP will afford Nigeria and Nigerians the first ever opportunity to be the greatest and most revered people in this world by simply doing things the way they ought to be done.
NIP is a transparent platform upon which Nigerians who possess outstanding leadership ability, and the requisite knowledge and skills to build a formidable country can ride. At NIP there is no God-Fatherism, no automatic tickets, no bribes for executives or delegates, because ALL members are delegates at every congress that touch and concern them.
NIP proposes to build a united and prosperous Nigeria by actively pursuing diversity and inclusivity, and by allowing each member of the party a say in party activities. We are building a Nigeria where citizens know and enforce their rights, and live up to their obligations to society. Where each person is respected, given an opportunity to thrive, and guided in the right direction irrespective of States of Origin, circumstances of birth, level of education or none thereof, material acquisitions and the likes.
We believe at NIP that the internet is the best weapon to use in bringing down the deep-rooted clout of the existing political class. To dismantle the sense of personal ownership of our commonwealth that we see with this political class in Nigeria. To end the level of impunity with which unscrupulous leaders run our country, particularly in terms of transmitting and transferring our national wealth to personal property and personal rights.
NIP will gather and screen credible Nigerians from across the globe and encourage them to contest elections at all levels in Nigeria. We will gather the +/-70 million young Nigerians consistently using the internet to vent – a great percentage of whom hold voter’s cards, many of whom hold these voter’s cards strictly for the purpose of identification at banks for BVNs. We will show Nigerians the value of stepping out to vote good people into power, and encourage them to offer themselves up for elections if they qualify.
Nigerians generally vote the same people we blame for all our troubles to lead us mostly because there is a sense of acceptance that our leaders must come from this group, or persons anointed by them. NIP says enough of that already. So far, it had been the same people whether they were in uniforms and gunning us down, or in “agbada” and throwing the monies they stole from us back at us. NIP is determined to undo this trend, and we believe the best way to do this is to gather our people under one roof to properly mentor and guide them using the internet. We believe the better versions of us can work on the mindsets of the rest of us from within the protected environment we have set up at the backend of our political platform.
NIP will end the era of self-centeredness, lack of commitment, and lack of accountability by political leaders in Nigeria. We will end the era of political power for sale! The era where heavy monetary inducement to leaders of political parties is prerequisite for winning elections in Nigeria. We will give the people a real opportunity to choose. We will end the era of stomach infrastructure in the Nigerian political terrain.
NIP believes that an urgent restoration of participatory democracy, social justice and good governance by a government formed by a responsive political party, a political party led mainly by highly qualified, educated patriotic young men and women of undisputed integrity will solve most of the problems Nigeria and Nigerians face on the daily.
We are confident that a complete overhaul of the leadership class in Nigeria is the only solution that will remove the mayhem into which our country has been plunged by our past and present leaders. An abysmal hell brought upon us because of their determination to protect their selfish interests over and above protecting the people and the country.
NIP is committed to fight by all means necessary, the mismanagement of national wealth, to recover stolen or misappropriated revenues, to eradicate the abysmal levels of corruption in our national life, to permanently end nepotism, and to ensure equal treatment of our people at all levels. Given political power, NIP will bring about stability, development and progress we all yearn in Nigeria.
We hope ordinary Nigerians will give us unfettered support by joining us, and helping us achieve our goal to build a Nigeria for All of us.