As Nigeria celebrates 22 years of unbroken democracy, the Eze Ndigbo Ghana and the Assistant Publicity Secretary Association of Ndieze Ndigbo in the Diaspora, HRM Eze Chukwudi Ihenetu has declared that there is nothing worthwhile to celebrate.
In a statement, the royal father lamented that since inception of democracy in 1999 till date, development especially at the local government level has remained stagnant.
“Since 1999, Nigerians has’nt seen steady light, no electricity, no good roads, no infrastructure, no proper medical facility, no quality education, school facilities like laboratory kits absent in government schools.
” In our universities, no practical knowledge, only theories. majority of our sons and daughters are sudying engineering without the necessary praticals to match the theory. In terms of education, most of our children who have schooled in the country in the past 29 years of unbroken democracy, are empty and half baked because schools are poorly equiped. Their lecturers are not regurlaly paid. How do you expect the teachers to go and teach when their is no money to eat and feed their wife and children? In order to survive, they ended up selling handouts.
“If the education standard in Nigeria is high, then why are our politicians sending their children abroad for studies? We should remember that youths are leaders of tomorrow but when they are poorly baked, what do you think will happen? No wonder, Nigeria is gradually going down.
“It is unfourtnate that our leaders dont appreciate our youths. we don’t appreciate this generation and the next generation in terms of education.”
On why he feel it unnecessary to celebrate democracy day, HRM Ihenetu said the reality that stare us in the face is failures in our education and electricity. “There is no light. People are generating light by themselves yet they are forced to pay exorbitant estimated bills. People are dying because the roads are bad. Take a look at Nigeria end of Seme -Badagry mile 2 road and you will weep for this country. Every inch of that road is doted with potholes. Again consider the second Niger Bridge which has been used by the various government since inception of democracy as campaign tool. A bridge ordinarily that will be built by a serious government in six months have taken over 16 years and yet no end in sight. Every now and then accident occur on that bridge causing loss of innocent lives.
“A lot of things lacking in Nigeria today is because we lacked power. peoplle can not operate small scale bussiness because no power. Even when our politicians construct roads, under 4 years, it is in ruin again because of corruption.
“Suprisingly our politicians travel abroad and they see good roads, but when they return to Nigeria , they close their eyes to some of this problems. The government has also failed to build industries which would have tackled the unemployment facing our youths today. In the area of security, lives are wasted, no protection of lives and property. During elections daughters and sons of the poor are recruited as thugs and in this process, many ended up being killed for nothing over few crumbs of food and paltry sums of money.
Their is also high rate of unemployment in government sector and private sector. many of our children are great inventors but no grant to establish and attain their dreams.
Thousands of Nigerians are abroad doing well but couldnt bring their wealth home because of insecurity. So if you ask me again I insists that their is nothing to celebrate.”
On why it is difficult to entrench good governance, HRM Ihenetu blame it on delibrate destruction of the local government, ward structure and non recognition of traditional institutions. He lamented that everything is concentrated in the center whereas the rural areas where over 70 percent Nigerians live are abandoned to rot away.
Quoting Oni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Enitan Ojaja the 2nd on his submission on bastardisation of Local government and traditional institutions in a recent security meeting with leadership of the national assembly, said: ” If you look at the average age bracket of all of us here, it ranges between 45-60. Anybody can challenge me if I am wrong. And we all know the demography of this country that between the age of 50 to age of dependency is 30 per cent while from 18 to 50 is above 70 per cent and we are talking of security here. Who are the active participants whenever their is breakdown of laws and order? it is the youths who fall within this age brackets and sadly they are not represented in this meeting.”
The Onirisa also lamented that district traditional rulers are left out in policies that could end insecurity in the country. “We are the ones facing this youths and we know their problems. That is why youths in rural areas and traditional rulers should be engaged if we must get out of this socio political quagmire” , he said.