The South-South Vice Chairman of the Labour Party, Prince Favour Reuben, has said that the only hope for the country to move forward is for the 9th National Assembly legislators to ensure the passing into law of the electronic voting system which will make the rigging of elections almost impossible and ensure the voting into power of credible persons who have the interest of Nigeria at heart.
He stated this over the weekend in Port Harcourt in a chart with newsmen.
He lamented a situation where all manner of people are nominated into positions of trust or for elections based on their level of loyalty to the authorities and not on competence as disastrous.
The party chieftain made it known that Nigeria’s 20 years of democracy is nothing to cheer about. According to him, “since 1999, the country has been drifting to the worse, insecurity everywhere we are still doing the same thing and getting the same old and negative results”.
He made it clear that inspite of Nigeria’s abundance resources, it lacks leadership. “We have leadership failure in this country. What we have so far is only parochial leaders who are not interested in the welfare of the people or the growth of the country. We need leaders with vision who can take the country to her desired height”.
The party chairman stated that the leaders Nigeria has produced so far are selfish and corrupt ones who lack the ability to face challenges in order to better the lives of future generations.
He said that, “when the head is rotten, the whole body is affected”.
On the approval of the local government autonomy, Hon. Reuben said it is a good development as it will give the council chairmen full control of their resources and an additional impetus for them to perform, adding that any council executive who fails to perform hereafter should be thrown out. “They now have enough resources to embark on road network for their people, provide electricity, water and other amenities without excuses”, he stated.
Prince Reuben also praised President Muhammadu Buhari for putting up the clause which said the council boss should not withdraw more than 500,000 a day as a way of checkmating them. On the auditing of the local government account, he said it is also good for the system as it will make the council chairmen sit up.
He equally advised the councillors to wake-up to their responsibilities by not only oversighting the activities in their respective councils but to also set agenda for them and monitor them adequately in the interest of all.
On the alleged lopsidedness of the National Assembly’s Principal Officers, Hon. Reuben blamed the APC legislators described them as “lame ducks”.
He said: “They should have been able to protect their zones if they can’t do that, what are they for? Politics is how to get what you want for your people”. He however wept for the South-East Zone which he said were worse hit.
He argued that the federal character policy of the federal government was for even distribution of scare resources as well as allotment of positions to reflect the zones in the federation which the country is practicing, but the politicians appeared to be destroying all the system and structures put in place to guarantee the country’s unity.
