A member of the Truth Be Told Network, Mr Bola Bakare on Thursday said Nigeria’s problem remains governance and leadership, absolving the followership, which he said was absent for over 60 per cent of the 54 years of independence.
“The bane of what is wrong with us has always been governance and leadership and I don’t think we have gotten it right yet” he said, adding that “in Nigeria we have never had followership for about 60 per cent of the time” and there was no followership during the military regime(s).
He said what was obtainable during the regime of General Yakubu Gowon is still obtainable presently.
He expressed dismay over the salary structure of the country where about 60 to 70 per cent of the budget is spent on recurrent expenditure, especially the civil service, without taking “a cursory look on infrastructure development and all other developments that will add value to Nigeria” insisting that “it has been with us from that time till now.
“And these (civil service) are the same people who are sinking us. The situation is so bad that if look at it you will want to carpet them” adding that “they are the only constant in Nigeria; the military have come and gone, politicians came in and they are out” he said on Sunrise Daily.
He however noted that the “politicians are as bad as the civil servants; the civil servants are just worse”.
“The civil service is the engine room of governance in Nigeria and when it comes being together to fight a course, the teachers, doctors, administrators and those in the ministries, come together and form a formidable force against you”, he said.
He berated the political leaders for telling Nigerians their “projections, aspirations and what will do at a particular period, which is not commensurate with what we are seeing”, adding that “there is progress but it is very minimal compared to what Nigerians think.
“At 54 we should be miles ahead”, he maintained.
He further noted that the governance of those days did not give enough to the people but it was the people that were giving value to themselves and Nigeria”, advising Nigerians to be self employed especially in agriculture like the Nigerians that lived in that era to be able to give value to themselves and the country at large.
