The Information Minister said this in
Lagos on Wednesday.
The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku,
on Wednesday said that President Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration is committed to
reinforcing democratic institutions in
Nigeria, adding that Nigerians have failed
in holding their local leaders
accountable.
Mr. Maku stated this at an event marking
the 20th anniversary of the annulment of
the June 12, 1993, election, organized by
the Save Nigeria Group in Lagos.
“The problem is that we have become so
used to dictatorship that if people go to
their village and their local public
toilet is not there, it’s the president.
If people go to their village and the
local primary school is not working, it’s
the president,” said Mr. Maku.
“The president must bear responsibility
because he is the leader of Nigeria, but
the truth of the matter is that power is
dispatched through institutions that must
take responsibility. And if we must change
Nigeria, we must hold every leader
responsible,” he added.
The event, tagged ‘Democracy Audit 2013,’
aims to dialogue on the burning issues in
Nigeria, according to Yinka Odumakin, the
group’s Spokesperson.
Mr. Maku further said that Nigeria’s
challenges are no different from those
experienced by advanced nations at various
stages of their nationhood.
“Every generation has always expressed
doubt about whether their countries are
living in the right time or whether they
are happy,” said Mr. Maku.
Reacting to the remarks of Tunde Bakare,
convener of the Save Nigeria Group, Mr.
Maku insisted that the present
administration is “on the right track.”
“We have put forward a new roadmap, a new
reform in power sector that is different
than any government had done in the past,”
Mr. Maku said.
“You can check the records, today in spite
of what we hear, I keep telling Nigerians,
on power, we are sorry we are not able to
give power 24 hours yet, but are we on the
road to doing so? Yes,” he said.
“If you look at the way our education has
moved, you will notice that the problem of
our education is primary education. It’s
the major problem that is feeding low
quality people to the secondary education
on to the university. That again is an
agenda that needs intervention, and we
have done intervention,” he added.
Among those in attendance were Orji Kalu,
former Governor of Abia State; Kola
Abiola, son of the late M.K.O Abiola; Dino
Melaye, former member of the House of
Representatives; and Ankyo Briggs, human
rights activist, among others.
Earlier in his remark, Mr. Bakare noted
that the problems facing the country in
1993 are still evident in 2013.
“Do we now have better employment indices?
Is there food security across the length
and breadth of Nigeria? Are housing
problems a thing of the past? Do we have
portable waters in our cities and rural
areas?
“Is there regular and uninterrupted
electricity supply? Do we have improved
transportation facilities? What of
education? Do we have better schools? Are
our hospitals any better? Mr. Bakare
asked.
“The question of infrastructure is just
one chunk, albeit a huge one, of the many
factors afflicting Nigeria. Apart from
physical infrastructures, how far has
Nigeria gone in providing social and
political infrastructures?”
Mr. Bakare also said that the government
had failed to explain to Nigerians how oil
marketers “cornered” N3 trillion in
subsidy funds when government’s budget was
N245 billion.
“Not a single head has rolled in either
the ministry of finance or NNPC and we
have seen on television how the trial of
the subsidy thieves could very well be
mistaken for a night of a thousand
laughs,” said Mr. Bakare.
“The state pardon granted to former
Bayelsa governor, DSP Alamieyeseigha
perhaps says what the official position on
corruption is,” he added.
Mr. Bakare described the 56 per cent
unemployment rate figure recently released
by the World Bank as “shocking.”
“Top on the list of the vulnerable and the
oppressed is the Nigerian child who still
cannot get qualitative education at all
levels in 2013 if his or her parents are
not part of the moneyed class,” he said.
“Basic education in Nigeria, purportedly
free, is merely poor education given to
the children of the poor so that they can
remain poor and ignorant,” Mr. Bakare
added.
Lagos on Wednesday.
The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku,
on Wednesday said that President Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration is committed to
reinforcing democratic institutions in
Nigeria, adding that Nigerians have failed
in holding their local leaders
accountable.
Mr. Maku stated this at an event marking
the 20th anniversary of the annulment of
the June 12, 1993, election, organized by
the Save Nigeria Group in Lagos.
“The problem is that we have become so
used to dictatorship that if people go to
their village and their local public
toilet is not there, it’s the president.
If people go to their village and the
local primary school is not working, it’s
the president,” said Mr. Maku.
“The president must bear responsibility
because he is the leader of Nigeria, but
the truth of the matter is that power is
dispatched through institutions that must
take responsibility. And if we must change
Nigeria, we must hold every leader
responsible,” he added.
The event, tagged ‘Democracy Audit 2013,’
aims to dialogue on the burning issues in
Nigeria, according to Yinka Odumakin, the
group’s Spokesperson.
Mr. Maku further said that Nigeria’s
challenges are no different from those
experienced by advanced nations at various
stages of their nationhood.
“Every generation has always expressed
doubt about whether their countries are
living in the right time or whether they
are happy,” said Mr. Maku.
Reacting to the remarks of Tunde Bakare,
convener of the Save Nigeria Group, Mr.
Maku insisted that the present
administration is “on the right track.”
“We have put forward a new roadmap, a new
reform in power sector that is different
than any government had done in the past,”
Mr. Maku said.
“You can check the records, today in spite
of what we hear, I keep telling Nigerians,
on power, we are sorry we are not able to
give power 24 hours yet, but are we on the
road to doing so? Yes,” he said.
“If you look at the way our education has
moved, you will notice that the problem of
our education is primary education. It’s
the major problem that is feeding low
quality people to the secondary education
on to the university. That again is an
agenda that needs intervention, and we
have done intervention,” he added.
Among those in attendance were Orji Kalu,
former Governor of Abia State; Kola
Abiola, son of the late M.K.O Abiola; Dino
Melaye, former member of the House of
Representatives; and Ankyo Briggs, human
rights activist, among others.
Earlier in his remark, Mr. Bakare noted
that the problems facing the country in
1993 are still evident in 2013.
“Do we now have better employment indices?
Is there food security across the length
and breadth of Nigeria? Are housing
problems a thing of the past? Do we have
portable waters in our cities and rural
areas?
“Is there regular and uninterrupted
electricity supply? Do we have improved
transportation facilities? What of
education? Do we have better schools? Are
our hospitals any better? Mr. Bakare
asked.
“The question of infrastructure is just
one chunk, albeit a huge one, of the many
factors afflicting Nigeria. Apart from
physical infrastructures, how far has
Nigeria gone in providing social and
political infrastructures?”
Mr. Bakare also said that the government
had failed to explain to Nigerians how oil
marketers “cornered” N3 trillion in
subsidy funds when government’s budget was
N245 billion.
“Not a single head has rolled in either
the ministry of finance or NNPC and we
have seen on television how the trial of
the subsidy thieves could very well be
mistaken for a night of a thousand
laughs,” said Mr. Bakare.
“The state pardon granted to former
Bayelsa governor, DSP Alamieyeseigha
perhaps says what the official position on
corruption is,” he added.
Mr. Bakare described the 56 per cent
unemployment rate figure recently released
by the World Bank as “shocking.”
“Top on the list of the vulnerable and the
oppressed is the Nigerian child who still
cannot get qualitative education at all
levels in 2013 if his or her parents are
not part of the moneyed class,” he said.
“Basic education in Nigeria, purportedly
free, is merely poor education given to
the children of the poor so that they can
remain poor and ignorant,” Mr. Bakare
added.
No comments:
Post a Comment