The Special Adviser to Gov Makinde On Education Intervention, Honourable Oloye Suraj Abiodun Tiamy, has congratulated Nigerians on the celebration of the country’s 64th Independence Day anniversary, urging all politicians to emulate Oyo State Governor, His Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde on good governance while assuring that the nation will rise again and noted that many Nigerians were concerned about how democratic governance has changed the quality of their lives for the better.
Hon Tiamy said this in an Independence Day message issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Sanusi Abdullahi Oyelekan on Tuesday in Ibadan, to celebrating the 2024 Independence anniversary.
Hon Tiamy observed that after 64 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.
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 64, he said, Nigeria should have counted among countries that have lifted its citizens out of poverty.
The distinguished Special Adviser to Gov Makinde On Education Intervention 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 who have been elected into the political offices in all levels of government should emulate the leadership style of our Dear Governor, His Excellency Engineer Seyi Makinde; they must be people with vision and commitment like him.”
On the country’s unity, Tiamy blamed some desperate 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.
He said, the consequences of mis-governance and poor leadership have no ethnic and religious borders.
END.
