…Buhari’s Move to Recover Looted Funds on Right Track
Former Governor of Abia state, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu has called on state governors to cut down on frivolities to meet the financial obligations of their respective states especially workers.
He stated that what the country needed now is deep reflection and serious financial reengineering by managers of the public sector.
The former governor added that the economic situation requires creative, strategic and visionary leadership by leaders at all levels because the reality is that the resources accruing from crude oil sales were dwindling by the day on account of falling global oil prices in the international market .
Kalu said this at the weekend in an interview with journalists at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport(MMA), Lagos shortly on arrival from the United Kingdom.
The businessman also advised states governors to look for alternative sources of boosting their revenue profile if they must be able to carry out their responsibilities.
According to him, “The current situation, if the truth must be told is that we are in dire straits. This times call for deep reflection and serious financial reengineering by managers of the public sector. This requires creative, strategic and visionary leadership by leaders at all levels because the reality is that the resources accruing from crude oil sales are dwindling by the day on account of falling oil prices in the international market. Above all, leadership is about the ability to take the right decisions at the right time by putting the people first.”
He continued, “Interestingly, state governors should cut down on frivolous expenses in order to meet their financial obligations especially workers salaries and payment to pensioners .If it means converting a portion of the security vote to fix serious responsibilities. It is worth it. This is because many state governors allegedly siphon the so -called security vote. We must learn to live within our means as a way to sustain a decent life. Governors should leverage on other revenue sources to complement the federal allocation. The era of depending on a mono product economy is long over.”
On efforts by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to recover looted funds from looters of Nigerian economy, Kalu declared that Buhari was on the right track, lamenting that the level of corruption witnessed in the last administration was alarming.
In his words, “I think President Buhari is on track in his efforts to revive looted funds by the past administration. The anti corruption measure is not a drawback as some critics may want to see it. Given the malfeasance that took place in the last regime, the president is handling the situation very well. It is not a drawback at all. Buhari should know who he should call because there was massive looting, I am sure most people didn’t want to listen to some people like us, who were shouting about what happened in the last administration.
“We said that there was corruption and the corruption that we saw in the last administration was very high. I told airport correspondents in one of my interview sessions when I landed at the Lagos Airport that there was corruption in the last regime.” he recalled.
On the agitation by two pro-Biafra groups, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB)and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) for a sovereign state of Biafra, stated that in as much as the federal government should not disregard the agitators, he does not the agitators going violent
“First, I think the signals we are getting from the agitation are quite intriguing in many respects. But, as much as government should not disregard the agitation. The strategy of going violent by the agitators is not to be supported because violence in any form has never been known as the way to resolve issues of agitation for self determination.”
“As a patriotic Nigerian, I believe in the unity and indivisibility of this country. As an Igbere man from Abia State, I love this country and will continue to push for its togetherness. To be honest with you, those boys are right in their quest to agitate for self determination. They have a right to demonstrate, for what they consider may be their right as recognised by the United Nations Charter for Human Rights. But, what I do not agree with is the violence associated with the demonstrations, and the alleged killing of soldiers by the agitators. No commander in chief of any country should tolerate such act by any group no matter the issue involved. It is an affront on the state. If I were the commander in chief I will never tolerate such brazen act of lawlessness and violence. Any group that kills one of my soldiers I will invoke the law to handle such people. Nobody no matter how disenchanted over their agitation should think of killing any soldier or police in the name of agitating for their own republic. You cannot kill any soldier or police and get away with it.” he declared.