Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has disclosed that socio-economic gap between the rich and the poor as well as the epicurean lifestyle of those in power currently threatens the corporate existence of Nigeria.
The governor also linked social inequality, poverty, and unemployment to a major menace bedevilling the country.
Speaking during a book launch yesterday in Abuja titled: ‘Media, Politics and Power in Nigeria’ authored by Emeka Nwosu, Fayemi lamented that those at the lowest ebb were unleashing mayhem.
The chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) wondered why values such as integrity, equity, honesty, and oneness no longer exist in the nation.
Fayemi who was represented by the convener of the Nigerian Agenda, Ahmed Sajoh, said: “We have not constructed shared values as members of the elite class. In the process, we have left our people also to grope in the dark with shared values.
He said values such as integrity, values such as equity, justice, fairness and inclusion should be shared across the country.
He said because the nation has eroded those values, it has led to a high level of poverty and social inequality.
He continued, “These things have resulted in the creation of an insensitive ruling elite. And I say it with the sense of anger. We have an insensitive ruling elite.
“People who could waste, lavish millions of our resources in their frivolous lifestyle at the expense of the ordinary people.”
He reiterated that the governor had always said we needed to devolve more powers to the constituent units.
“He also understands as I do and all of us should do, restructuring the country alone is not enough.
“In 1966, one of the key components of the restructuring debate then was the creation of more states. Have we not created more states?
“Has it solved our problems? It has not solved our problems. Today, if we devolve power, yes, it will benefit more people in the corridors of power, but in the long run, if we do not address poverty and social inequality we are still not going to get it.
“Poverty and social inequality are the key components of things we need to restructure our country.
“We need to restructure our social relationship. The rich are getting richer. The poor are getting poorer. The gaps are getting wider. The insensitivity is getting too much.”
Speaking on the nexus between the media, politics and power, he said: “Generally what we are talking about is the interface between politics, power and the role of the media in ensuring that the politics which is usually the road to power and power itself serve the common good of Nigeria.
“I must confess that the nexus of media, politics and power is such that politics determine the structure of power while to some extent, media determine the structure of politics,” he said.
