Unbecoming ministerial pronouncements

The recent media report credited to the Minister of Works Babatunde Fashola that the bad state of federal roads is exaggerated is unfortunate as it is disappointing. He joins the growing list of President Buhari’s political appointees especially ministers who talk before they think.

A few weeks ago, it was the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, who told Nigerians and the world that N22,000 monthly minimum wage is enough for a family of four. Before him was the Minister of Agriculture who said that there is no hunger in Nigeria even when many Nigerians cannot eat once a day.

The careless statements by appointees of this government are becoming insulting on Nigerians. It is even more vexatious to think that those who became something from nothing are at the forefront of this uncharitable behaviour. No doubt, they have become carried away by the trappings of power and so have succumbed easily to recklessness in terms of speech and most likely conduct. Was it not in Chinua Achebe’s epic novel Things Fall Apart that it was advised that those whose palm-kernels were cracked by benevolent spirit should learn to be humble?

It is quite ironic that those who live in Nigeria at the expense of the majority, at the slightest opportunity, talk as if they are super-human. The truth is that for any position attained by anyone in this country, there are millions of others who can do same or even better if given the opportunity. Why then all the arrogance?

What had been the practice since this administration came to power was political appointees and those elected congratulating themselves in areas they have succeeded and where they have failed abysmally. Now it is turning the truth upside down and in the process making mockery of the system, Nigeria and Nigerians. This is sad for a government that had promised so much.

Our leaders are like over-pampered children. They do not go through what the average Nigerian goes through on a daily basis: the hunger, frustration and suffering. They enjoy everything from government- jumbo salary, free health care, free accommodation, furniture allowance, wardrobe allowance, traveling allowance, SUV vehicles and so on. As such, they are not in touch with reality. So, how would a minister of agriculture know there is hunger in the land? Why would his labour counterpart know the cost of goods and food items? How would the Minster of Works know how bad the roads are when he is always flying?

Rwanda was a war-torn country some years ago. Today, however, she has become the beautiful bride of the world as a result of creative, purposeful and honest leadership of President Kigame and his team. What obtains here is wholesale importation of IMF theories which only impoverish Nigerians. What also obtains is that the children of our leaders are in the best schools abroad, while they buy wheel-barrows as empowerment scheme for other people’s children. Those whose children manage to school here invite the media to cover it as if they will invite television cameras and the press when they will withdraw them to join the children of their colleagues abroad.

President Buhari as a matter of national urgency should caution his ministers and aides about their utterances. Nigerians have shown enough goodwill to this administration. The least they can get is good governance, not unguarded utterances from those they rely on to drive the system in order to better their lives.

Lucky Ofodu wrote from Asaba, Delta State luckyofodu24@gmail.com.