The South West Youth Forum (SWYF) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to appoint any of the past governors as minister in his cabinet which is expected to be constituted any time soon.
Chairman of the forum, Comrade Funsho Ajimuda, who gave the advice in a press statement yesterday, accused most of the former governors of plundering their respective states into humongous domestic and foreign debts.
He said: “As it has been speculated, many of the immediate past governors in the country are lobbying to be appointed one minister or the other. It is an act of greed, shamelessness and selfishness that an eight years executive governor will be angling to be a minister while his political son is governor.
“The forum wishes to reiterate that such advances from these governors should be ignored. It is on record that this crop of governors plundered their respective states and plunged the states into humongous debts-domestic and foreign.
“It is glaring that most of these past governors ruined government businesses without adequate plans, concept or blueprint. They are just after changing portfolio from the chief executive officer of the state to minister or senator. As governors, they had the opportunity to serve the people but they ended up serving themselves and their cohorts with track records riddled with failed promises, corruption and inefficiency.
“These past governors have nothing again to offer. Evidence across Nigeria shows that most state governors have bastardised Nigeria’s educational system to the extent that corp members are now in charge of most schools as a result of non-recruitment of teachers. Even the few teachers available are owed backlogs of salaries,” he said.
He further urged the president to appoint better hands as ministers, individuals who are technocrats and willing to make good legacies, people who are managers and rescue the nation from the present economic doldrums.
“We have no doubt in your ability not to only defend over 220 million Nigerians but to also make lives bearable and affordable to ordinary Nigerians. We are confident that your experience in the public sector and track record in human resources management will be reflected in your ministerial nominees,” he added.
