Peoples Democratic Party chieftain and publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, has said that President Tinubu is surrounded by liars who fail to admit to him the poor state of governance in the country.
The PDP chieftain made these comments during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Thursday while discussing the state of governance in the country.
Momodu said, “To ask a question ‘is there bad governance in Nigeria?’ I don’t think that is in doubt. Every Nigerian agrees on that. And I say it including the aides of Mr. President who cannot say it in his presence but they grumble behind him. I say it everywhere. He is my friend, he is my big brother and if anybody will deceive him, I will remain the only one who will continue to tell him that you’re surrounded by liars.”
He highlighted that Nigeria has never been this bad and that the cause of the government’s failure is due to its constant waste of resources.
“Nigeria has never been this bad. The reason why I would say this government is failing is because number one, they’ve not been able to check the profligacy that goes on in government in Nigeria.”
He however gave his two cents on what he feels the President should do to address the nation’s problems, saying, “What I would expect president Tinubu to do and for him to be able to assure the nation that he means well for the nation. It’s not about throwing money around. I expect him to say today, I am merging some of the ministries. As long as you meet the constitutionally required number of ministries, then cut off the rest.”
He also urged the President to cut down on unnecessary appointments and excessive spending while adopting a more prudent approach to managing the resources of the country.
“Number two, all these excesses. Everyday, they are awarding appointments like popcorn. You can’t run Nigeria the way you ran Lagos state. In Lagos, it’s just a state and because it’s a state and a very wealthy one at that, you can afford that. But nationally, the level of poverty in Nigeria does not allow that. Then, all this living large, outlandish lifestyle, you want to buy a presidential jet, you want to build multi-billion naira homes, stop it now.
“We have a good and reasonable example from Kenya. When the demonstrations started in Kenya, our good friend William Ruto thought it was the usual. They will come out for two to three days, we will suppress them. Today, he is begging for oxygen. I pray they don’t drive these young Nigerians to that level because the level of desperation is unprecedented in the country. It’s not a question of when I’m travelling, I’ll reduce my entourage to 20 people. That’s nothing. Profligacy is key. Everything else emanates from that. When they say we don’t have money, but they have money for politicians.”
Melissa Enoch
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