Veteran journalist and publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to stop profligacy going on in his administration.
Momodu said Tinubu’s government is failing because he didn’t check the profligacy, advising the President to reduce the cost of governance.
The political analysts who spoke on Thursday on Arise Television, said everybody, including aides to the President, acknowledged that the country is witnessing bad governance.
Momodu said, “It is not in doubt that there is bad governance in the land. Everyone knows, including the aides of Mr President who can’t say it in his presence, but grumbled behind me. Nigeria has not been this bad, it is unfortunate.
“This government is failing because they have not been able to check the profligacy that goes on. For Tinubu to be able to assure the nation that he means well for them, I expect him to reduce the cost of governance and merge some of the ministries.
“As long as you meet the constitutionally required number of ministries, then cut off the rest. Political appointments are also too much. They make appointments every day like popcorn. You can’t run Nigeria the way you run Lagos state. You can afford to make many appointments maybe because Lagos is a wealthy state, but nationally, the levy of poverty in Nigeria doesn’t allow that.
“All this living large, outlandish should be stopped. We have a good example in Kenya. When the demonstration started in Kenya, President Ruto thought it was a usual protest, and that the government would suppress the protesters.”
But the Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Wasiu Sadare disagreed with Momodu, saying that Tinubu’s government isn’t failing but waxing stronger for the prosperity of the country’s economy.
Speaking with our correspondence, Sadare said, “Tinubu came at a critical time when Nigeria needed total rebirth and reconstruction because of some inherent challenges that could not be tackled by the successive administrations.
“The Federal Government has not left anyone in doubt of its determination to solve all the problems occasioned by the subsidy removal.
“Within just a year, the Tinubu administration has achieved the much-desired local government autonomy and addressed the new minimum wage debacle in addition to stemming the tide of insurgency and insecurity, improving Nigeria’s relationship with foreign countries, opening up the economy to encourage direct local and foreign investment among other things.”
PUNCH
