A former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, has expressed dismay at failure of governance at all levels, blaming politicians for deploying antics of empowerment as cover-up for non-performance.
Essien, a former Eket Federal Constituency lawmaker in the House of Representative, described such schemes as wasteful and deliberate ploy to enlist the support of the people in the face of obvious under-achievements.
Addressing a forum in his country home in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Essien noted that, “What is popularly known as empowerment is nothing more than a ruse, designed to mask the government’s inability to provide basic amenities and economic opportunities for its citizens.
“The so-called empowerment programmes are largely a ruse and an easy cover-up for years of government failure and yet another avenue to squander the people’s money.
“Governments are supposed to create an enabling environment in which people can live in dignity and cater for themselves. Throughout the colonial period, the short-lived independence era, and even military rule up to 1999, empowerment was not part of our political vocabulary. It simply didn’t exist, because government, in many ways, did its job,” he stated.
Essien argued that no serious government in the world sustains poverty alleviation by handing out foodstuffs and cash to its citizens, pointing out that responsible nations focus on long-term investments that build human capacity and stimulate productivity.
“What responsible governments do is invest in people’s capacity to thrive by creating jobs, building infrastructure, and ensuring access to quality education, healthcare, and credit,” the elder statesman noted.
Essien also expressed disappointment with the ministries of Humanitarian Affairs at the federal and state levels.
“One would have thought that the creation of these ministries would make a significant impact on the welfare of the people. Unfortunately, they have become conduits through which public funds are stolen with utter recklessness. All the ministers of humanitarian affairs in Nigeria have been accused of misappropriating and embezzling billions of naira meant for people in distress,” he said.
He decried what he called the inability of the anti-corruption agencies to bring indicted officials to justice, calling for a complete review of how the government responds to the needs of vulnerable citizens.
“That is why I am calling on the government to take another look at what has come to be known as empowerment and find better, more sustainable ways of providing safety nets. We must stop the routine sharing of food items and cash to people who will return to the same queue the next day. It is neither dignifying nor effective,” Essien declared.
According to him, what Nigerians truly want are opportunities to work and prosper, including access to land, loans, training, stable electricity, and consistent policies that enable them to farm, trade, and grow their careers and businesses.
“What we need is infrastructure that supports markets, technology that opens new doors, and policies that attract investments,” he said, urging public officials to stop wasting resources on politically motivated handouts.
He called on elected representatives to return to their constitutional responsibilities of lawmaking, oversight, and constituency representation rather than taking on executive functions that fuel corruption and inefficiency.
“The truth is, many people who were ‘empowered’ since 1999 are still standing in the same queue, waiting for the next round. The impact has been minimal despite billions spent over the years.
“Let us correct these mistakes. Let us restore government to its proper role. Let us learn from models that work and develop homegrown solutions that build dignity, not dependency,” he stated.
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