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Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by kenshin17(m): 11:12pm On Nov 18, 2013 |
LAGOS—PRESIDING Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM, Dr. Mike Okonkwo last Sunday said majority of the nation’s current political gladiators navigated their way to power for their selfish interests and not the interest of the nation and its teeming masses. Addressing newsmen at the opening ceremony of this year’s Kingdom Life Conference tagged, Open Heaven, the presiding bishop said: “About 90 per cent of them who are in power today both at the federal and state levels are there not because they have something to offer. Nigerian leaders are not there to develop the country. Their interest is their personal interest.” According to him, people voted into power at the federal and states levels are not there to develop anything. “For instance, each time I think of the South South region of the country that produces the wealth of the nation and the rate of neglect in the place, you will be forced to ask yourself, what kind of human beings who have brains will be able to sit down and watch such neglect without thinking of developing the area. “That is why I said these people are not honest. If they are, such places where majority of the nation’s resources come from, should be developed to make the indigenes feel a sense of belonging. So for me until we address such imbalances, I don’t think we are ready yet to move the nation forward.” He argued that “we need to put things right and get people who know that the purpose of governance is for the benefit of the people. But the present structure we have is such that allows charlatans and cowboys, all in the name of politics, move into Government Houses because of the benefits that are there and not because they have something to offer. Corruption had been there but the present magnitude is worrisome. The moment we started exchanging money for performance and integrity that was when we started having more problems.” @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@As the Presidential Committee on the proposed national Conference continues its tour of the country, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has advised the Federal Government to make life better for Nigerians saying what they need at the moment was availability of the basic necessities of life. Governor Fashola, who spoke in Sokoto while featuring in a special edition of Channels Television programme, “SUNRISE”, as part of the second Retreat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, said the life of the ordinary Nigerian would be improved through making electricity available, providing good roads, food and healthcare adding that these things do not need a National Dialogue but meticulous planning, funding and execution. Wondering whether the Conference was meant to produce a new constitution for the country, the Governor asked: “What do the people want, a better document or better life? To me, it is better life and that appropriates to power, good roads, water, food, healthcare and others. “You don’t need to discuss good roads, the contractors are there, just find the money and give them. You don’t need to discuss how to generate power, GE, Mistibushi and all others are there. You don’t heed to discuss how to plant maize and yam. Just develop an agricultural plan and go and implement it,” the Governor said. He advised that instead of organizing a fresh conference, the Federal Government should retrieve the resolutions reached in the similar conference in 2006 and implement them adding: “The truth is that when people begin to get prosperous, the body of science out there says that they will be less violent. The reason is that they begin to seek how to protect their prosperity. And, therefore, crime tends to be coming down”. Governor Fashola, who was on the programme with his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, also spoke of the split in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and his reason for going to court, saying he sought redress in court because he saw the split as something rooted in impunity which, according to him, should not be allowed to thrive. “I feel a little scandalized that something as basic as an election by us, amongst us, leaders of a club, to put it mildly, could result to such an unsavoury outcome and that is why I took the step to go to court; because what is being touted there as a splinter group has its foundation based on impunity and an unwillingness to accept the result of a contest that they subscribed to.” He described the action as both unsportsmanlike and bad for the country adding, “The proceedings are still afoot, some objections to some issues and all that. But irrespective of the outcome of the matter, I think the point that it makes to me is that we will not stand by and allow impunity thrive”. He hoped that arbiters of the matter would take judicial decisions and in the event make some announcement one way or the other noting, “But out there in the open, I believe clearly, and there is some documentary evidence, in spite of people trying to hide behind a finger, as it were, suggesting that they didn’t vote, they didn’t participate.” Recalling the incident that brought about the split, Governor Fashola said: “Out of the 36 governors, 35 Governors attended either by themselves or by their deputies, 35 votes were counted, results were announced, if you add 16 and 19, you get 35. So it was really a case of standing logic upside down in a spirit that is unsportsmanlike. “I think it is a joke that has gone too far and I want to use this opportunity again to appeal, the Governors’ Forum is not a place where there are victors and there are vanquished. Our doors remain open let us show leadership, let us reach out, discuss this issue in a very fair and firm manner, go out there as brothers and put this issue behind us,” he said. Responding to a question on the 2015 General Elections and insinuations that the country may split in that year, Governor Fashola, who rather predicted further improvement in the nation’s electoral process in 2015, said the nation would emerge from the elections both stronger and more united. Noting that just as in the last general elections in 2011 when some improvement was recorded, 2015 would not be different, the Governor declared, “In the last elections, in spite of all the insinuations and hiccups, there was some improvement. I think we will get there where after votes have been cast we take the outcome like sportsmen.” On the insinuation that the country may breakup in the next election year, the Governor dismissed it as mere imagination noting that it is Nigerians who tend always to whip up such sentiments every election year even when experiences of the past election years have shown the contrary. “For the insinuation that the country would break in 2015, I have heard that before and nothing has changed. Perhaps what has changed is in the positive. In the last elections, in spite of all the insinuations and hiccups, there was some improvement,” the Governor said adding that nothing would change negatively in 2015. Asserting that 2015 would prove to be just another year, the Governor declared: “It will come and go and we will continue to live. Some people have described it as a watershed. Yes 1999 was a watershed, 2003 was a watershed and 2007 was a watershed. We went through 2011 when they said heavens would fall. “Really, we have been pushing ourselves to the brink of the wall but when all is said and done we pull ourselves back from the brink. So there will be nothing different in 2015. I think we will get there where after votes have been cast we take the outcome like sportsmen,” he said. He expressed the confidence that the nation would advance to the position where, after elections were concluded and results announced, the defeated contestants would take the results with equanimity and congratulate the winners adding, “I think it boils down to that spirit of sportsmanship and I know we will get there. I am optimistic that we will change. We are not where we were in 1999. We have moved”. Frowning at the manner of preparation for elections in the country, Governor Fashola noted with dismay: “When we are preparing for an election, we prepare as if we are going to war but we are only going to a contest. Newspaper headlines begin to carry how many policemen and soldiers have been moved to election sites. It makes my skin crawl”. The Governor, who blamed this on the ethnic sentiments still very prevalent in the country’s politics, said because Nigerians do not move around enough in the country, they tend to focus more on their immediate environments while they look upon others with suspicion. “Perhaps we don’t focus enough on the things that unite us. I am coming here for the first time and I am glad that I came because, aside cultural connections, there are quite a lot to see in our country. We don’t travel enough. I went round the town. I saw an economy that is vibrant, that is moving. People were still moving by 11.30 in the night and for me these are the kinds of stories that should really go out,” the Governor said. (please don't be angry with my post but the page was showing(Please wait for a few minutes before submitting this post. Our server is overwhelmed.) thank u 4 understanding. |
Re: Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by Nobody: 11:34pm On Nov 18, 2013 |
Including a lot of church leaders |
Re: Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by inspirenet: 1:21am On Nov 19, 2013 |
smartchoice: Including a lot of church leaders |
Re: Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by micklplus(m): 2:41am On Nov 19, 2013 |
For a moment when I saw the headline, I thought you wrote ; "Nigerian leaders are self servicing" LOL. I agree with the Bishop though. All of our leaders are self serving including our religious leaders |
Re: Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by mekaboy(m): 3:44am On Nov 19, 2013 |
this man is one of the respected men of GOD I know in Nigeria. he is courageous and speaks the truth. but the truth is that we Nigerians dont really want change. He has spolen the truth, instead of people to reason and find solutions they are busy pointing fingers at religious leaders. Are religous leaders governing you and me? the the policies the have in their churches affect u? |
Re: Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by Nobody: 6:06am On Nov 19, 2013 |
Open your eyes man/boy! mekaboy: this man is one of the respected men of GOD I know in Nigeria. he is courageous and speaks the truth. |
Re: Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by ichuka(m): 6:37am On Nov 19, 2013 |
kenshin17: LAGOS—PRESIDING Bishop of TheLet him LEAD.by selling the private jet he bought over 4billion naira and use the money to empower youths and market women in his town(AWKA ETITI) |
Re: Nigerians Need Better Life Instead Not National Dialogue - Fashola by Nobody: 6:42am On Nov 19, 2013 |
Thank you....am hapi you can see i.chuka: |
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