Will there be change or can there be change?
Corruption a la stealing became a norm. Politicians and their cronies
ran the country bone dry. It was quite obvious for all to see that
morality was thrown to the dogs.
The question is now that, will there be change or can there be change?
The answer is that there can only be change if the following occur:
• The salaries of all NASS members are made public including all allowances, advisers etc. These must be published and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation Fiscal Commission – RMAFC must be subject to the oversight function of Mr. President or his Vice. If the NASS people ever threaten to impeach the President for curtailing their excesses, the people will not allow it. We are counting on the antecedents of the President-elect in terms of his transparency and prudence.
• Salaries and allowances of all governors, assembly and local government members and chairman must be known and be in public purview.
• Drastic improvement in power supply. This will energize industrial production and increase self-employment. Our 4-5,000 Mega Watts purported phcn production for 170 million people is dismal compared with South Africa with 40,000 MW production for a population of 54 million.
• Fuel situation must change. If removal of subsidy is what we have to endure, temporarily, to shut out the fuel parasites, so be it. However, steps should be put in place to increase local fuel refinery capacity and bring in local investors. We may find out that eventually, prices may fall as it did in the USA when crude prices crashed.
• Health services must be available, for free to all, at the Primary Health Care level. In addition, the National Health Insurance Scheme should be totally restructured and made more efficient. People are having real problems accessing affordable healthcare with dire consequences.
• Education sector must be revamped and made more functional. The original philosophy of the 6-3-3-4, now 9-3-4 system, should be revisited. The creation of institutions for vocational studies should be looked into, particularly what Oby Ezekwesili was advocating when she was minister, to formalize vocational studies e.g. refrigeration and air-conditioning, car repairing, carpentry, masonry, computer hardware repairs, hair dressing, fashion designing etc can be formalized and certificated to increase acceptability.
• Strengthening and making the judiciary to be 100% independent and get more people with integrity into the bench.
There are many issues that our country needs to redress in addition to those enumerated. It should also include respect for elders or constituted authority according to our custom, not someone challenging the certification of one who was a general while he was still in elementary school. We need to see vividly that change is or has taken place or else that change can take place again.
Soga Sofola is Emeritus Professor of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos.
Credit: Guardian
The question is now that, will there be change or can there be change?
The answer is that there can only be change if the following occur:
• The salaries of all NASS members are made public including all allowances, advisers etc. These must be published and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation Fiscal Commission – RMAFC must be subject to the oversight function of Mr. President or his Vice. If the NASS people ever threaten to impeach the President for curtailing their excesses, the people will not allow it. We are counting on the antecedents of the President-elect in terms of his transparency and prudence.
• Salaries and allowances of all governors, assembly and local government members and chairman must be known and be in public purview.
• Drastic improvement in power supply. This will energize industrial production and increase self-employment. Our 4-5,000 Mega Watts purported phcn production for 170 million people is dismal compared with South Africa with 40,000 MW production for a population of 54 million.
• Fuel situation must change. If removal of subsidy is what we have to endure, temporarily, to shut out the fuel parasites, so be it. However, steps should be put in place to increase local fuel refinery capacity and bring in local investors. We may find out that eventually, prices may fall as it did in the USA when crude prices crashed.
• Health services must be available, for free to all, at the Primary Health Care level. In addition, the National Health Insurance Scheme should be totally restructured and made more efficient. People are having real problems accessing affordable healthcare with dire consequences.
• Education sector must be revamped and made more functional. The original philosophy of the 6-3-3-4, now 9-3-4 system, should be revisited. The creation of institutions for vocational studies should be looked into, particularly what Oby Ezekwesili was advocating when she was minister, to formalize vocational studies e.g. refrigeration and air-conditioning, car repairing, carpentry, masonry, computer hardware repairs, hair dressing, fashion designing etc can be formalized and certificated to increase acceptability.
• Strengthening and making the judiciary to be 100% independent and get more people with integrity into the bench.
There are many issues that our country needs to redress in addition to those enumerated. It should also include respect for elders or constituted authority according to our custom, not someone challenging the certification of one who was a general while he was still in elementary school. We need to see vividly that change is or has taken place or else that change can take place again.
Soga Sofola is Emeritus Professor of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos.
Credit: Guardian
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