… Implement 2014 national conference
From Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Constitutional law expert and rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to disolve his cabinet and implement recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who attributed Nigeria’s current woes to poor machinery and mismanagement in government said most members in the president’s cabinet were square pegs in round holes who do not know the way forward out of the economic recession.
Ozekhome made the call, yesterday in Osogbo, Osun State capital, in a chat with newsmen when he was conferred with a chieftaincy title; Mayegun Bamofi of Ido Osun Kingdom by Obalufon of Ido Osun, Oba Aderemi Adedapo, to mark his 59th birthday.
“The present government met a robust economy in May last year.
“Then, Nigeria was the biggest economy in Africa. There was over $500 billion rebate by the World Bank and IMF.
“We were the number one economy in Africa and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
“Today, we have retrogressed to the third economy in Africa and about 173rd in the world.
“A few weeks ago, Transparency International rated us among one of the most corrupt nations on mother earth, in spite of the so-called ongoing anti-corruption war.
“The anti-corruption war or, at best, recovery of stolen money has nothing to do with fighting corruption. When corruption is systemic and endemic and you want to fight it, you have to remove the root cause and the root cause has not been removed because those currently in government are now enjoying the highest level of corruption than ever before.”
Ozekhome said some Nigerians are afraid to speak against the anti-graft war because of the fear of the Department of State Security and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“We are in a quagmire because strong and pluralistic voices who are in the position to speak up are afraid for fear that DSS and EFCC could be unleashed on them. Even people who have money are not ready to bring it out to invest because they feel that these organs, including the police and the ICPC could be unleashed on them, too.
“To overcome the current economic recession challenge, the president must do the needful.
“First, he must re-engineer and re-tool his wobbly and near-comatose cabinet by removing those who are not working and put the round pegs in the round holes.
“Secondly, he must deal a death blow on the most corruptible forces of corruption by overhauling his entire kitchen cabinet which is full of ‘yes men and yes women’ who can never look at the president eye ball to eye ball and disagree with him.”
Ozekhome also made reference to the president’s wife’s recent swipe at her husband’s administration, which, she said, had been hijacked by a cabal.
“For Aisha to get angry out of frustration and say government is not doing well and would not support her husband in 2019 to campaign for him, you should know that the chicken has finally come home to the roost.
“Nigerians are suffering and in pains. Therefore, something must be done to avert the hardship. Nigeria is treading a dangerous bend. It is on a precipice,” he added.
He called on the Federal Government to bring technocrats together, irrespective of their party affiliations to chart a way forward for the country.
Earlier in his speech, Oba Aderemi described Ozekhome as an illustrious son of Nigeria who has been the voice of the voiceless.
He referred to him as the Cicero of the 2014 National Conference in Abuja. The monarch disclosed that the titled conferred of him was in recognition of his cerebral status in Nigeria.
Oba Aderemi also expressed optimism that Nigeria would survive the current hardship and urged Nigerians to remain calm.