Former Lagos
State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said that there is urgent need for the country move
towards true federalism.
Tinubu stated
this while unveiling the book ‘Making Steady, Sustainable Progress for
Nigeria’s Peace and Prosperity’ at the presidential villa, Abuja.
The 360-page book
is a mid-term scorecard of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration put
together by Presidential Media Team.
The former Lagos
State governor said that moving Nigeria in the direction of true federalism
remained the best and sure way to grow the economy and improve the standard of
living of Nigerians.
Tinubu seized the
opportunity as Guest of honour at the launch to explain that President Buhari
has changed the Nigerian story for good in the last two years.
He said the
country was a sinking ship under the immediate past government of former
President Goodluck Jonathan where corruption was the order of the day.
Tinubu
stressed that Nigeria was now more prosperous than it was two years ago
before the coming on board of the APC government.
He told President
Buhari that, “the good that you have started, do it more,”.
According to him,
the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan earned a red card on
good governance but won a gold medal in corruption.
The former Lagos
State governor explained that so much money grew feet and ran faster than the
Jamaican runner, Usani Bolt, under the PDP administration.
In the words of
Tinubu, the money that should have ordinarily been spent on development was
lavished away causing untold hardship for Nigerians.
“The prior
government used the public treasury as a private hedge fund or a charity that
limited its giving only to themselves.
“So much money
grew feet and ran away faster than Usain Bolt ever could. That which could have
been spent on national development was squandered in ways that would cause the
devil to blush.
“One minister and
her rogues’ gallery picked the pocket of this nation for billions of dollars.
While poor at governance, these people could give a master thief lessons in the
sleight of hand. In governance, they earned a red card but in corruption l,
they won the gold medal.
“It was not that
our institutions had become infected by corruption. Corruption has become
institutionalized,” Tinubu added.
He continued that
“corruption has been won as President Buhari has set an axe to what he called,
“the root of this dangerous tree.”
Gone are the
times when a minister can pilfer billions of dollars as easy as plucking a
piece of candy from the table.
“We have much to
do to combat this disease. Not only must we track down the takers. In the long
term, we must review the salaries of public servants and create universal
credits for our people to reduce temptation,” he added.
In his welcome
address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha
said that the publication is not just a book but a practical guide that the
government has made to redeem the country.
Mustapha said
the book was a work of partnership between a private sector player and the
government.
Source: New Telegraph
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