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…..says those winning elections in Nigeria were politicians without ideas
….decries dearth of values in the nation’s democratic space.
From Abel Leonard, Lafia
Former Director General, National Orientation Agency, Dr. Mike Omeri Friday urged President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to review his strategies of providing enduring governance for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians or prepare to face total disappointment and reversal of fortunes.
Omeri while exchanging views with Journalists in Lafia on yesterday said the zeal, commitment of the president would remain a mirage unless Nigerians with goal driven ideas and passion for national development are encouraged to replace those he described as mediocre s who play with toys.
According to the former NOA DG, national growth has continued to suffer set back because competent Nigerians were being sacrifice for those who win elections or given opportunity to decide the fate of the country and they have nothing to offer adding that they are minimalist, macro and limited to the vagaries of our self-imposed fault lines.
“I know people are yearning for change, things that would make life better for them and the communities. When politicians come we have those with ideas and those with promises. And most times it’s the people with promises that win the election without ideas of what to put together for the good of the society”.
He further explained that the biggest bane of the nation’s progress is that politicians come to governance without understanding the idea of what the institutions are all about adding that what preoccupied their mind is what they will get and leave.
“When politicians win the election, they don’t understand the institution, they are just there to make it. Like someone said politics has become an industry which people come to harvest forgetting that after 4 years they become ordinary citizens and they come to face the promises they made and never fulfilled”.
Omeri added that People believe they can make money that would last them for life in the Nigerian system. The system has become weak with little capacity to check institutional lapses adding the politicians have succeeded in weakening the stronger instructions that would have protected the system to work in Nigeria.
“All the institutions that appear to be strong to help protect will power have been weakened by the politicians promises without understanding the institution they want to use for governance.”
“So they use the regime protection mechanism, self-perpetuation strategy and power through our commonwealth to the detriment of growth, development and stability.”
The former NOA DG while appealing to leaders at all levels to re-institutionalize the nation’s values and tradition also urged them to deemphasized appointment being made based on who you know if the nation must make progress.
On education, Omeri said universities should be made more engaging in tasks and product development noting that they should be involved as partners not rivals.
“Their research outcomes must be put to the test to ensure backward integration, inward capacity to elicit competition, build confidence and display competences for the progress of self, nation, and rest of the world this will curb Japa syndrome, create employment and steady the things we value including, our culture, heritage and the environment.”
