Ahead 2015 general elections Fashola hits FG, TAN in a very hard way

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola came hard on the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration and members of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN). He said their idea of transformation defied dictionary meaning. The governor said a government that spends an average of 65 per cent of its annual national budget on recurrent expenditure in the last four years cannot be adjudged to be transforming the country.


FASHOLA, JONATHAN

Fashola cautioned the government against leading the country on the roads to Rwanda and Detroit in the United States of America, where insecurity, joblessness, poverty, corruption, division and lack of moral values prevail.
He said for Nigeria to start its journey of true reconstruction, reconciliation and rehabilitation as espoused by the Gowon administration immediately after the civil war, we must collectively rework our value system.

The governor spoke at the 2014 Leadership annual conference and awards ceremony organised by Leadership Newspapers yesterday in Abuja.
Fashola, in his paper titled: “Rebuilding the Nation: Lessons from Other Lands”, emphasised that the desired change which Nigerians yearn for was only possible through their votes. He told the gathering among whom were former of Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), and Senator Bukola Saraki that the 2015 general elections would be the defining moment for the country.
A change, he maintained, should begin with the coming elections, if Nigerians are truly desirous of change in the socio-political and economic outlook of the country.

Fashola said Nigeria politicians were behaving like Detroit politicians who preferred kicking the can around with excuses rather than confronting and addressing the problems facing the state.
“Detroit, the home of Ford automobile in the 1950 employed 250,000 people, but today it is bankrupt with about $20 billion debt, and hardly able to employ 20,000 people. “We must turn Nigeria around. We cannot keep this calm for another four years. The consequences will be grave, it will be global and it will be reverberating. “Nigerians must renew their own values and we must find our own solution from within us, and to be specific, that change must come from within our democratic process.”

The governor said Nigerians have not experienced the promise of this country because our values and moral codes have gone in different directions. Fashola said the Federal Government has failed to entrench true transformation as it has professed, describing the on-going Transformation Agenda as mere “slogan”. The governor said: “If truly there was a desire to make a change for the better which is what transformation means; it should be obvious as astatement of intention from the budget.

“Our budget spends more on recurrent payment of salaries, travel, and generally running government. I ask is this what transformation is about that? “The signs that there was not going to be any transformation in Nigeria were obvious to me since 2011; as mere slogan perhaps yes, but as a call to purposeful action the jury is out. “If we want change, the elections in 2015 are a good place to start. For me, these elections must not be so much about what the opposition brings as some people have argued.
“I know that what the opposition does might or might not be helpful, if you and I are happy with what we have now and some ambassadors said that they are, then nothing that the opposition does will change how it feels.
“Conversely, if we are unhappy with what we have, the logical thing to do is to attempt to change it with our votes and to change the next one too if we do not find what we want until we find what we all want. That is when the people would truly have attained power”, the governor asserted.

He said the promise of Nigeria must be fulfilled whether the present crops of politicians like it or not, noting that moral and ethical rebirth are the surest way to get the nation back on track. Chairman of the occasion Sir Amuka Pemu lamented that the civil service mass purge during the tenure of Gen. Murtala Mohammed marked the beginning of the problems confronting the nation today. He pointed out that lack of job security in the service turned the civil service into self service with the attendant abuse of public service and diminished integrity.
Amuka, who canvassed for simple decency and respect for the rule of law, added that with insecurity across the country and the fact that the Chibok girls were still in captivity, it was difficult for the country to celebrate its 54th anniversary and centenary.
The Group Managing Director of Leadership Newspaper, Azu Ishekwene, said despite the seeming fear and despair across the nation, Leadership Newspaper sees hope in the future of the country.
Posted by: Blessing Olaifa, Assistant Editor and Frank Ikpefan

tinkinjow:
Just like there's nothing progressive in giving out 20% (#5,000,000,000) of lagos internally generated revenue to Tinubu every month...an amount more than what most state are getting.

I hate hypocrisy

For me, these elections must not be so much about what the opposition brings as some people have argued.

“I know that what the opposition does might or might not be helpful, if you and I are happy with what we have now and some ambassadors said that they are, then nothing that the opposition does will change how it feels.

“Conversely, if we are unhappy with what we have, the logical thing to do is to attempt to change it with our votes and to change the next one too if we do not find what we want until we find what we all want. That is when the people would truly have attained power”, the governor asserted.

tinkinjow:
Just like there's nothing progressive in giving out 20% (#5,000,000,000) of lagos internally generated revenue to Tinubu every month...an amount more than what most state are getting.

I hate hypocrisy

DONGOYARO1:
About 70% of our annual budget goes into recurrent expenditure !!! No serious country does that

berem:
Fashola always on point.

Billyonaire:
It is easier to judge others and give ourselves a pass mark. Before we go back to Fashola's anti-masses policies and illegal intrastate deportation cacophonies.......In short, there is no point glorifying these Tinubu stooges with a response, because they already know that they are failing. And a falling man can grab anything on his gravitational drifting to abysmal pit of illusions.

Fashola, can you take off the toll-gates and find another way of funding the fraud called Eko Atlantic City ?

Articul8:
your proof sir! Comment on what he has said. Is he ryt or wrng? Then we can also deal with him. So dnt wave his observations because of his hypocrisy.

Splashme: [size=14pt]TAN activities are really giving sleepless nights to the APC.
Fashola is talking from his anuss these. He is lobbying to be picked as running Buhari's mate[/size]

Chinazaekperem6:


Timi be very very very careful.........................................

Tochi3:
PDP, APC and other parties are all thesame. Parties who love the status quo but quick to point accusing fingers at each other as the next election approaches.

I strongly agree with some of Fashola´s point, but what i really do not understand is in the areas controlled by his party why some of these ideas and philosophies have not been applied to change the lives of the people residing in those areas. This change can start from only one Lga and spread to other areas.

I do not have any pity for all you supporters of PDP; APC because you all need to be used and dumped to start all over again. PDP is preaching Transformation while APC is preaching Change. Show me just one State PDP have succeeded in transforming and also show me one State changed by APC. The bottomline is nothing transforms and nothing changes. As long as the parties do not have an ideology the status quo reigns supreme. Nigerians, we are all in for a very long hopelessness.

PDP is a failure in my own calculations even a mega failure, they have always been anyway. APC had its opportunity but blew it before they could even realise they had one. Nigerians, none of the parties in the present dispensation will transform or bring the desired change. We have seen all this before. Be wise Nigerians.