Hon Tiamy said this in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Sanusi Abdullahi Oyelekan on Sunday in Ibadan, to celebrating the 2023 Independence anniversary.
Hon Tiamy observed that after 63 years of independence, ordinary Nigerians are still lamenting what independence meant to their lives because of the widening gap between the leaders and the people.
He regretted that the rate at which poverty is ravaging Nigeria is inconsistent with the vast resources available to Nigeria.
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According to him, the country’s wealth does not automatically lead to better life as good governance is lacking.
Tiamy said the rate at which unemployment is accelerating among Nigeria’s youth, creates youth restiveness, which itself lead to other social crises such as armed robbery and other violent crimes.
At 63, he said, Nigeria should have counted among countries that have lifted its citizens out of poverty.
Distinguished Hon Tiamy also noted that, a situation where the leaders are getting richer at the expense of the people while the ordinary citizens are becoming poorer is a bad omen for the country.
He recalled that even before the current grim security challenges, poverty, disease, hunger and unemployment were dominant features of the country’s challenges of development.
As the sixth largest oil producer in the world, Tiamy insisted that Nigeria has no excuse for failing to lift its people out of poverty.
He argued that there is a correlation between the quality of the country’s leadership and the quality of good governance.
In his direct statement, “we should expect individual leaders to rise above their own level of competence as it important that those seeking elective offices anytime anyday in all levels of government must be adequately prepared for leadership; they must be people with vision and commitment.”
Hon Tiamy warned that, unfulfilled promises led to disillusionment, thereby creating disconnect between the leaders and the led.
On the country’s unity, Tiamy blamed politicians for playing up the ethnic and religious differences for personal advantages. This attitude, he said, puts the unity of the country under a severe strain.
Hon Tiamy, however, noted that Nigerians should not lose hope in the country, stressing that the country could get out of the woods if leaders are elected on the basis of their competences rather than primordial considerations.
He said, the consequences of mis-governance and poor leadership have no ethnic and religious borders.
