From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
Government has been blamed for the high rate of corruption in the country because of its unfavourable policies, especially on the senior citizens. Prince Ademola Ayoade made the assertion in Ibadan at his 67th birthday anniversary. Ayoade was national secretary of National Democratic Party (NDP), and its two-time governorship candidate in Oyo State. He is private investigator and farmer.
He claimed that fear of uncertainty after retirement made workers, particularly civil servants to loot the treasury while still in service: “Government fails to take care of life after retirement. If workers are assured that their pensions and entitlements will be paid promptly, they will be no need to steal government money
“If government and our political leaders are sincere enough in making provisions for social security for the elderly and the unemployed, the rate of corruption would have been very minimal.
“The fear of the unknown after retirement prompted civil servants to steal government money and acquire wealth illegal. They device crude methods and amass wealth for themselves, their children and even their children’s children.
“Our politicians have even made matters worse. They beg for our votes, but immediately they get into office, they become lords unto us. They make themselves inaccessible and unavailable to the electorates who vote them into office.
“There are glaring injustice in the manner government is fighting its corruption war. The government has a mindset of who to prosecute for corruption, it is very selective.
“This is making a mockery of the whole arrangement.
“Also there are a lot of imbalance in the polity and policies of this government. The only solution at this juncture is for the country to go back gracefully to 1963 Constitution of the First Republic.”