Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, said the new ministers should be candid with their boss, President Bola Tinubu, in order to succeed in the discharge of their duties.
Speaking on his expectation of the new federal cabinet members, Adebayo also urged them to be courageous enough to throw in the towel whenever there was a clash between their conscience and the president’s instruction.
He said: “I expect that they should be candid to the president in advising him in discharging the functions of their offices. When they find there is conflict within their conscience and the instructions of the president, they should let the president know and if necessary, they should give him his job back.
“They should upgrade their conscience so that they will not do in public office something they do not want the public to be aware of,” he said.
The former presidential candidate also faulted a narrative that a regional system of government would be more efficient than the present federal system in the country.
He said the quality of persons running any system of government would determine its success or otherwise.
Adebayo said Nigerian politics has become totally transactional, relegating the welfare of the people. He added that the majority of the politicians are mere financiers and businessmen.
He said, “Don’t say those regions were effectively run because they were regions. They ran because of the quality of the political leadership, the quality of the public services, and the general direction and the moral compass of the country at that time.
“Those who are running the country today as at present, if they were asked to run the regions, they would have ruined the regions. If they have displayed the same attitude today now, if they display them when the regions were there, they will ruin the regions”, he stated.
He said elected political officers holders today liken politics to investing money in a venture for profit.
“So, when you invest money, you will reap in abundance. So many people who ordinarily will be in business, will realize that if you invest in banking, agriculture, or whatever, you get a single digit return.
“If you invest in politics, you get a million fold. If you give a billion naira to support a political party or a candidate, you could have a whole ministry given to you. And ministers, commissioners, and other senior government people are recruited to help the boss get his money back to protect procurements and other business opportunities for their clan, for their clique. So, no pure government is going on. They are recruiting themselves to govern it. The reason why our politics is failing is our philosophy of governance has failed”.
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