Life of Integrity
The reality of a life of integrity is a mirage in any country where the majority of the people have been sentenced to a life of poverty. To ensure that the people of Nigeria live happily, honestly and decently the Government shall harness the resources and promote national prosperity by controlling the national economy. Accordingly, the economic system is not operated in such a manner as to permit the concentration of the national wealth or the means of production in the hands of a few people or a group. Since the primary purpose of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of the people the State shall direct its policy towards ensuring that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pension and unemployment and sick benefits as well as the welfare of the physically challenged people are provided.
The Constitution has imposed a duty on the Government to eradicate corruption and abuse of office. To this effect the mass media shall promote public accountability and transparency in the affairs of the government. All citizens are required to assist the law enforcement agencies in the performance of their duties. In Dododo v. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (2013) 1 NWLR (PT 1336) 468 the Court of Appeal held that every citizen is under a legal obligation to report allegations of corruption to the anti graft bodies. Once corrupt public officers are exposed while public funds are channeled towards infrastructural and human capital development the Nigerian people will be in a position to live a life of integrity. But if citizens are poor, frustrated and disenchanted they will engage in criminality to the detriment of law and order in the society.
The aforementioned duties of the government and the rights of citizens to live in prosperity and happiness have been outlined in Chapter 2 of the Constitution. However, successive governments have failed to carry out their constitutional responsibilities to the people due to alleged lack of resources. It is our submission that the resources of the nation have been concentrated in the hands of a few people and groups by the government.
Mr. Bill Gates, the co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was a guest of the federal government at the recently concluded expanded meeting of the National Economic Council in Abuja. In his wellpublicised address at the forum Mr. Gates criticised the neo-liberal foundation of the economic programme of the Government of Nigeria. While reeling out facts and figures on the state of underdevelopment of the nation the special guest made a strong case for increased investment in the welfare of the Nigerian people by all the chief executives of the federal and state governments. In particular, he urged the governments to make the people the corner stone of its economic programme by investing in education, health and other social services.
Not a few people including some former public officers have commended Mr. Gates for speaking truth to power! But far from it, the speech was a friendly admonition to the members of the ruling class in Nigeria. Having invested $1.6 billion in promoting the health of the most vulnerable segment of the population since 2006 the locus standi of Mr. Gates to challenge the economic programme of the Government cannot be questioned. Gates has put his money where is mouth is, as they say.
His solidarity message was a critical commentary on the economic programmes of the previous and current governments which have abandoned the welfare policies enshrined in the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy embodied in the Chapter II of the Constitution of the Republic. Therefore, Mr. Gates’ criticism of the economic programme of the Buhari administration is valid for all the economic programmes of the previous governments, which have handed over the national economy to market forces at least in the last 35 years.
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