Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, has called for more commitment and support for the ‘Change Begins With Me’ campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that the attitudinal re-awakening initiative is not a one-man business.
Governor Sani Bello gave the charge in Minna, the state capital during one of the activities to mark the country’s 56th Independence celebration.
The Governor, who said that more lip service is paid to the campaign, maintained that for the country to achieve the desired change, all citizens must deliberately and consciously work towards it.
“We all have been shouting the change slogan but I am disappointed because the change is not yet with us.
Whether you are a doctor, policeman, civil servant, politician or a judge, the change is about everyone.
“The day the Nigerian Police and the judiciary will uphold the law is the day things will change for the better.
“We must move away from the way we have been doing businesses; we must pity those that don’t have and those who cannot help themselves. Everyone has a role to play”.
The Governor expressed displeasure with the way some doctors and nurses relate with patients in public hospitals in the state. He stressed that with such attitude, there cannot be service delivery.
“At the general hospitals, if you see the way some patients are treated by nurses and doctors, it is inhuman, to the extent that the sickness of the patients often times degenerate.
“Nigerians must shun corruption; we must be dedicated in the discharge of our duties with strict adherence to the ethics of our professions and callings,” he said.
He advised both political appointees and civil servants to turn a new leaf for a better Niger state and Nigeria, adding that change is not just with the administrators.
“Everyone has a role to play, from the Governor to the last political appointee, we must move away from the old ways.
“We must also desist from employing family members who do nothing at the expense of the state.”
Gov. Sani Bello attributed the economic challenges facing the country to greed, stressing that Nigerians are their own problems.
He reaffirmed the resolve of the present administration to ensure the development of a new Nigeria and called on the people to support government policies and programmes.
He stressed that the present status of the state as a civil servant’s state is nothing to be proud of.
“We must make Niger state commercially viable. To come out of the present economic predicament, we must all come together to find workable solution through creating alternative sources of income for the state,” he concluded.
