FORMER Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye, has called on the leadership of the country to urgently address the issue of corruption by ensuring that those found culpable are duly made to face the law.
Noting that if there is any factor that may quickly lead to the disintegration of the country on or before 2015 as predicted 14 years ago by America, he said the lackadaisical attitude through which government handles the magnitude of corruption in the country is major.
Speaking with The Guardian Monday on the topic: “Why the polity is currently tensed up ahead of 2015 elections”, Agunloye said: “Corruption is growing at a dangerous trend to the extent that Nigerians have totally lost confidence in governance; the youth have lost confidence in the elders and their leaders. There is political, economic and moral corruption; it is breathing and pushing the country to a brink.”
The former Minister of Power and Steel, who also served as Minister of State for Defence, said corruption has bred injustice, inequality and nepotism in the country “a situation where Nigeria is rated among the countries in the world with the largest number of poor people and also the largest number of billionaires, is unjust and unfair. A situation where past public officers, particularly governors, are called to account for billions and trillions of naira and at the end, nothing comes out, is making governance to lose value.”
He also said the perceived second-term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan is another factor tensing up the polity. According to him, “The quest to control power at the centre has not only been ethnicised but is currently being pursued at selfish ends. There is no doubt that the perceived second term ambition of President Jonathan is part of the reasons the polity is now under serious tension as we witnessed before the 2011 general elections when the ruling Peoples Democratic (PDP nearly polarised the country based on their internal zoning arrangement.
“I believe Jonathan ought not to have contested for power in 2011 as I said suggested then. He had the best opportunity then to conduct a free and fair election, no matter whose ox was gored if he had not participated,” he noted, adding that a situation where elections are perceived not to be free and fair would also generate crises, injustice and other serious vices.
It is unfortunate now that the situation has even gone beyond Jonathan’s ambition; ethnic sentiment and personal interest are now the determining factors for whom to rule the country instead of collective interest, he added.
While blaming Nigerians for getting what they deserved by accepting undue inducement from politicians during elections, Agunloye said it is unfortunate that politicians and the few who have cornered the wealth of the country usually take advantage of poverty in the land.
No comments:
Post a Comment