Our Mission In The UPN/Slogan: UPN- UP Nigeria; UP Nigeria - People First; UPN-Time For Change/Motto: Work and Enjoy Life more abundantly/Ideology: Egalitarianism is our national watchword./Equality of good fortune must be to each reward; Liberty and brotherhood are the goals for which we’ll strive ; plus plenty and the good things of life

Since the publication concerning the exploratory meeting for the formation of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) held on 17th March, 2013 at Dr. Fredrick Fasehun’s office, we have been inundated by inquiries from well wishers from home and abroad sending messages of solidarity and asking to know the mode of operation of the proposed party. The inquiries expressed reminiscence of the good old days of the sage Obafemi Awolowo’s UPN. We are encouraged by them and thereby obliged to respond to these inquiries in this advertorial hoping it will encourage the people to work with us. The proposed party is meant to fulfill Papa Obafemi Awolowo’s admonition to us that after he must have gone, it would be our duty to fight for ourselves .This is the time. We want to thank the members of the press for their co-operation and hope that they will continue their effective dissemination of news for which Nigeria press is famous worldwide. We are seizing this opportunity to appeal to the Security forces and the Civil defenders – The Nigerian Police, The Oodua Peoples’ Congress, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, Niger-Delta People’s Volunteers Force, Oodua Liberation Movement , EGHESU, United Middle-Belt Youth Congress , Agbekoya, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Bakassi Boys, MEND etc. to continue to be vigilant in protecting the public and our members as they go from house to house ,hamlet to hamlet, town to town , city to city, disseminating information about our new party. Almost everybody, probably excepting those who are in government, would agree in the words of Awo at an inauspicious time when some strange forces broke into his house during General Mohammed Buhari’s regime that the omen is bad. The omen on our polity is bad craving for change. A real change, not a cosmetic change of name or color characteristic of re-branding of an unsellable product. Our polity needs a genuine transformation which can only be brought about by a political revolutionary evolution. A revolution in thought and deed that emanates from our cultural value of honesty and dedication. People are so frustrated that they do not know what to do about it. They almost give up. There is a widening gap between the ruled and the rulers. Whereas the rulers are getting fatter and fatter ,the ruled are getting thinner. That is an indication of a disconnect between the ruled and the rulers. An evidence of alienation of the people from the government that is supposed to serve them. A good number of people including those in government would agree that the answer to the frustration would have been to act like Awo as we agree that Awo laid down the foundation for good governance in his thoughts, policy and politics. But nobody wants to act like him despite the fact that he demonstrated his wizardry and left records in his various writings and speeches. Even though a lot of those who worked with him are old, some have even died while some are committed to the status quo in all the political parties; thank God there are still millions of the beneficiaries of and witnesses to his work alive who can recount what he did and who could emulate him given the right platform :this is the hope for Nigeria as we try to revive his program of emancipation. Nigeria today is bedeviled with bad governance, corruption, selfishness, and negligence of the people for which Awo labored . Today contracts are shared in the cool room of the hotels instead of the government offices where rules are supposed to be respected. Our present crop of politicians have turned government into private business. They have even commercialized education which Awo held dear to his heart to be given to every child free at all levels. It looks as if Nigeria has been captured by strange elements from different planet. All the political parties since 1999 have failed us. It is for this reason that we have resolved to create a platform for the platformless , create a voice for the generality of Nigerians. A platform of democracy where every member shall have right of expression, unlike the monopolization of power by some powerful cabals as it is today. A lot of well meaning people have expressed some pessimistic tune considering the level of decadence of our polity and grab of power by men and women that have lined their pocket with ill gotten wealth ; our money . But we have confidence in the generality of the people and patriotic business men who are yearning for change to pick up the gauntlet and struggle for their freedom and emancipation given a genuine political platform. It is this platform that we are offering our people to organize in the ward, local government, state and national level to demonstrate that we are capable of establishing a government of the people by the people for the people. A listening government, not a government that has been deafened by the lust of power. And this is why we are offering you what Awo had offered you before – Unity Party of Nigeria. A party that has character and record of success. A political party that would be organized by the people themselves in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to enable them establish democratic self fulfillment and actualization. It is a grass-root organization, a mass movement as we want you to organize yourselves in the hamlets, wards, villages and towns. For any setup to be recognized as a ward meeting it must have membership of at least 50 people to start with. And where a multiple of groups grow up in a ward , we shall constitute a group of professional political operatives to quickly pool the groups together in a democratic manner . While we welcome multiple ideas , we shall put our efforts into discouraging factionalization in the party. This new party is not a fait accompli as we need everyone including our leaders who had the opportunity to have worked with Awo in the past . We need your wealth of experience as we want you to be part of this genuine and progressive transformation . We would recollect that genuine attempt at building a nation wild progressive UPN started gaining steam when Dr. Datti Ahmed’s led Committee of Concerned Citizens from the North worked with Awo for the 1983 election which was ‘moon-slided’ leading to the collapse of the second republic. Another attempt to build a truly progressive party was seen in the determination of late Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua ‘s attempt ‘ to start where Awo stopped ‘ in his formation of the People’s Front which became a formidable front in the government formed Social Democratic Party , the progressive party of the second republic which included the best from Sir. Ahmadu Bello’s , Dr.Nnamdi Azikiwe’s followership and the Awoists. The formation of this new UPN is an attempt to go to the base of this historical progressive movement and invoke the spirit of these past heroes of progressivism and to build on the tradition laid down by them for the liberation of our people. Do not be left behind. Do not be defeated by pessimistic despondency that could deter you from taking action . When Senator Barack Hussein Obama started his Presidential journey, most of the known leaders who worked all their life for the emancipation of the blacks did not believe in the possibility of his mission. Rev. Jesse Jackson was not enthusiastic but his son ,Congressman Jesse Jackson (Jr.) was supportive from the beginning. Ambassador Andrew Young did not believe in the mission. Congressman Elijah Eugene Cummings did not support the Obama project at first but when Obama won the first primary in Iowa, he quickly changed course because he felt the wind of change that was blowing and did not want to be left behind history. Many people who believe in the philosophy of Obafemi Awolowo from West to the East, South to the North are scattered in various political parties styling themselves Awoists in parties that are not Awoist. This is an opportunity for them to retract their footstep because if it has got to be UPN to be Awoist ; and if it is not UPN, it is can not be UPN . With all of us coming back into the UPN with its laudable program, we would be able to focus and serve our people throughout the federation to fulfill the dream of our founding fathers. To those Awoists who are unable to join us now because of their commitment elsewhere, we respect your opinion but we ask for your prayer from the corner of your room and encourage your children to be on board with us . We are not oblivious of the problem ahead of our struggle but we know by the grace of God ,victory will be ours, Insha Allah. Some people have expressed concern over the possibility of being registered. We harbor no such doubt because INEC has been true to the letters and spirit of the provisions for registration of political parties . We are encouraged to see that just days after the announcement of the proposed party , volunteers from all over the country and abroad have sprung up so much that we have offices in 24 states and the federal capital of Abuja . We have even got volunteers to open offices for us in Europe and America. And by the time we apply for registration very soon we would have covered all the states in the federation. We are already benefitting from the goodwill of the UPN which had offices all over the country with the control of Lagos,Ogun, Oyo,Ondo,Bendel and Kwara and large followership in the North East , NorthWest , North Central and South South region in the then 19 States Nigeria and the goodwill associated with Papa who has become larger than life in death as people realize his contribution to the nation as the best President Nigeria never had. With the registration of NCP, PRP and NAP , Courtesy of Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s cout action, the INEC has established that it has no prejudice or misgiving against any party as long as it meets the provisions for registration and we are prepared to do that with the UPN . It is a duty that we owe this generation and generations unborn to bequeath to them better days so that they do not see the present abnormality as the norm. The wind of change in the people is visible. The new UPN is in line with the old UPN with people oriented four cardinal programs 1. Free and qualitative education at all levels-Nursery to University. 2. Free health services with viable well equipped hospitals. 3. Integrated rural and community development including mechanized farming , rural electrification ,communication , digitalization, dam, channelization, transportation, adequate water supply , constructive road network , comfortable low cost housing , security and religious harmony. 4. Full and gainful employment. It is this precise party program which made the old UPN what that it was that is lacking in all the parties today . Papa Awolowo talked about a need for the government to be ambitious in satisfying the yearnings of the people. It is the duty of the government to determine the needs of the people and find ways and means of satisfying them, he said. And when a government is ambitious to satisfy the yearning of the people, it becomes frugal in spending with little left to fiddle with, he explained. We are not unmindful of the mischief makers’ propaganda of charging the new UPN as divisionist of a region. While we do not want to join issues with them, we want to assure them that we would not allow them to define us. Anyway , when does Awolowo’s name or party become divisionist of the West ? We do not see Awolowo in such a derogatory manner . It is blasphemous. Our target is to establish dedicated government for Nigeria not limited to a zone. Some people say Awolowo came before his time. We beg to disagree. All the prophets of God came to lay the foundation of their religions for us to follow. Awolowo came to lay the foundation of good governance and polity for Nigeria and he excelled. It is now left for us to choose to follow his footstep or not. We have decided to follow his footstep and there is no going back. There is no going back because our people deserves better than what we have now. We are not going back because Awo would not sit down seeing the decadence that is going in the name of politics now without putting in his effort at remedy. And we are not succumbing to the forces of intimidation by sitting aloof without making efforts to pool Nigeria out of brinkmanship of collapse. We are therefore inviting you all- teachers, students, artists, transporters, professionals in all fields, employed, unemployed , farmers, workers, activist members of civil societies, market men and women to be part of this new beginning. And if they ask you who are those behind this renewed UPN, reply with pride and a sense of belonging: We, the People . Oh yes ! WE CAN do it . Dr. Frederick Fasehun Hon. Bari Adedeji Salau Alhaji Tunji Olateju 08033159765 07053537227 08096688868 folabora35@yahoo.com Bariadedejisalau@gmail.com olaolateju@yahoo.com Alhaji Abubakar Sokoto Dr. Tunji Almaroof Dr. Nneoma Nnamah 07035594493 00913475202194 07035253543