A former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has bemoaned the situation where the Nigerian state prioritises the welfare of dogs than over 80,000 prisoners languishing in correctional centres.
Oshiomhole, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior stated this at a public lecture in solidarity support and honour of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, with the theme: ‘Nigeria Yesterday, Today and a Prosperous Future.’
Speaking at the event held in Abuja on Thursday, he noted that the correctional centre (prison) was not meant to kill people but to correct wrong doing by inmates.
The former Nigerian labour leader regretted that powerful forces get away with threats of dealing with prisoners with the connivance of some corrupt security operatives.
He said, “We even care for dogs better than Nigerian prisoners. The bad news is that out of the 80,000 prisoners, 50% are awaiting trials.
“In our laws you are presumed innocent until found guilty. Oppression is the name of the game. A person will tell you that I will teach you a lesson, and with the connection of the DPO, he can teach you more lessons than you can ever imagine.”
Oshiomhole also frowned at foreign countries’ labelling of Nigeria and its currency as weak, stating that Nigeria should define its path and not allow foreign profiling to soil the country’s image.
“In Nigeria, our people will go to the World Bank, and they will tell us who we are. We are supposed to define who we are and not foreigners. And until we go back to this home-grown policy and damn the consequences of the world because they are going to fight us, we will have problems. To secure the future, we must interrogate the immediate pass,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought: Centre for Public Policy and Research, Professor Sam Amadi said the Nigerian leadership should fast tract economic development through diversification and implementation of direct state principles.
“The social contract we are proposing requires elected officials to fast tract economic development through diversification. Apart from being the biggest economy in the country, we were first but we are fourth after South Africa, Egypt and Algeria.
“We should be the fastest developing economy with tremendous untapped human resources. A nation is always a work in progress but how we do that work determines what the nation is. We must admit that we have not being doing a good job since 1960.
“We must maximise opportunities. The good news is that Nigeria still has the resources to succeed, Nigeria can still succeed. Every crisis can be turned into an opportunity and invention but all depends on the honesty, patriotism, courage and intelligence of the ruling elite,” he said.
Earlier, the lecture convener, Professor Emeka Umerah, said leading Nigeria requires navigating complex challenges and making decisions that may not yield immediate results or compliments.
Umerah said President Tinubu has shown remarkable courage in confronting these challenges, steering the nation towards a brighter future.
“Reflecting on his first year in office, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the strides we’ve made. It’s akin to witnessing the biblical walls of Jericho crumble with each blow against corruption, each policy aimed at economic revitalisation echoing like Joshua’s trumpets.
“President Tinubu’s tenure exemplifies the Jerichoan feat of overcoming obstacles that once seemed impossible. As we celebrate these achievements, let us not forget that our work is far from over.
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