States  Urged to Tackle Root Causes of Nationwide Protest against Bad Governance

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

As Nigeria counts the losses and possible gains of the nationwide protest against bad governance, state governments have been advised to get involved in addressing the issues that sparked the resentments.

The President of Cosmo Base Consortium, Rev Benson Ezem, made the call while reacting to the aftermath of the hunger protest that gripped the country from August 1 with consequential loss of lives and property.

He said that though the protest was essentially directed at the federal government which dictates Nigeria’s macro-economic policies, the states have their roles to play in tackling the issues that caused the anger in the land.

“The states must begin now to address some of the issues raised during theprotest. They are to see themselves as the quasi federal government,” he said.

Ezem, who is a chartered architect and development expert, said that states have to come up with strategic development initiatives and intensity internal revenue generation.

He argued that since the federal government doesn’t dictate development strategies and IGR of states, there was no reason for state governments to rely solely on the federal government without charting their own course for development.

According to him, “I can’t see why the state governments cannot go into industrial development or partner industrialists to develop industries that will utilise the mineral resources in their different states.

“There is no state today that doesn’t have at least one mineral resource on a large scale.”

Ezem noted with regrets that state governors would rather prefer to go into projects considered to be “soft targets, low hanging fruits that will only benefit them and their cronies.”

Speaking “from a position of knowledge and as a statesman,” Rev Ezem flayed the state chief executives for spending so much and getting so little in project initiatives.

He said: “When you interrogate their infrastructural development, the quality and the cost, you cannot but feel sorry for our country.”

The Cosmo Base president, who has remained consistent in advocating for reduced cost of governance, condemned the arrogant display of opulence and extravagance by the ruling class.

He said: “How much do we need to survive or even to live as a millionaire, billionaire. You don’t need all the money you are stealing; that big mansion which you’ve built to accommodate your whole village is not just necessary.

“Some people ignorantly plan to amass wealth for their unborn grandchildren, not even their children. Let me make it clear here, such wealth will grow wings and fly away.

“The only thing that can outlive a man is the lives you’ve touched and he legacy you left behind and not the amount of money you stole.”

The cleric and project development expert declared that those public officials indulging in primitive accumulation of wealth were engaged in pursuit of vanity.

“What happens to (the acquired wealth) when you are no more? Yes, one day your soul will be required when no amount of money will be accepted as a replacement. It is all vanity,” he asserted.