Change begins with Buhari- Ladoja
Tue Sep 13, 2016 08:24:am National
2.4K By Buchi Obichie
The recently launched re-orientation campaign of the Federal Government,
'Change begins with Me', has been criticized by a former Governor of
Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, who stated that change must start from
President Muhammadu Buhari and members of his cabinet.
Ladoja, who is the National Leader of the Accord Party, also faulted the postponed Governorship election in Edo State; noting that if the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, had enough assurance that it would win the election, it would not have been postponed.
The former Governor made his comments while speaking with newsmen at his Bodija residence, shortly after observing the Eid prayer at the University of Ibadan Central Mosque.
According to him, in as much as he was in support of the launch of "Change Begins with Me", the President and his cabinet must bell the cat and this would ginger other Nigerians to follow suit.
He noted that the work of civil servants should not be mixed with that of a committed farmer, who has passion for farming.
Ladoja also wondered how the fight against corruption of the administration would succeed when civil servants are owed six months salaries.
His words: "It is mixed, look at what Emir Sanusi said. Sanusi does not believe that there is sincerity with the anti-corruption crusade.
"As long as you have a lot of roadblocks, there will be more corruption. Liberalisation is better. Do you need to bribe anybody to get GSM today? Go and try it in the days of NITEL. They will ask you to go and bring the ladder and you had to bribe them for them to render the service.
"Corruption is not only a public servant or politician thing. It is endemic in us and it is caused by blockade, red tape. Remove the red tape and you will see. Sanusi has said it that the dollar has gone up but there is corruption there.
"There is no corruption and yet some people can buy a dollar at N197 and those that want to employ people and do business can go and buy at over N400 and we want the economy to improve? All these do not add up. Who does he (Buhari) want to please? That is subsidy, if you do it for Muslim you have to do it for the Christians," he said.
On Edo election, he said, "I think the change starts with President Buhari. Look at what INEC said about the change in date in Edo State election. They said it is colossal waste and nobody has convinced us about the postponement. They cited security reasons. Billions of naira has gone down the drain. We are wasteful.
"I am not in their party. My party has no candidate in Edo. I just know that it is wrong. We have fixed this date for a long time and they first said it was because of WAEC but the date it has been shifted to again also has WAEC exams. Are you now going to ask WAEC to change the date also? We are still playing games. I am sure that if APC were sure that they will win Edo election, they will not have postponed it."
Ladoja, who is the National Leader of the Accord Party, also faulted the postponed Governorship election in Edo State; noting that if the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, had enough assurance that it would win the election, it would not have been postponed.
The former Governor made his comments while speaking with newsmen at his Bodija residence, shortly after observing the Eid prayer at the University of Ibadan Central Mosque.
According to him, in as much as he was in support of the launch of "Change Begins with Me", the President and his cabinet must bell the cat and this would ginger other Nigerians to follow suit.
He noted that the work of civil servants should not be mixed with that of a committed farmer, who has passion for farming.
Ladoja also wondered how the fight against corruption of the administration would succeed when civil servants are owed six months salaries.
His words: "It is mixed, look at what Emir Sanusi said. Sanusi does not believe that there is sincerity with the anti-corruption crusade.
"As long as you have a lot of roadblocks, there will be more corruption. Liberalisation is better. Do you need to bribe anybody to get GSM today? Go and try it in the days of NITEL. They will ask you to go and bring the ladder and you had to bribe them for them to render the service.
"Corruption is not only a public servant or politician thing. It is endemic in us and it is caused by blockade, red tape. Remove the red tape and you will see. Sanusi has said it that the dollar has gone up but there is corruption there.
"There is no corruption and yet some people can buy a dollar at N197 and those that want to employ people and do business can go and buy at over N400 and we want the economy to improve? All these do not add up. Who does he (Buhari) want to please? That is subsidy, if you do it for Muslim you have to do it for the Christians," he said.
On Edo election, he said, "I think the change starts with President Buhari. Look at what INEC said about the change in date in Edo State election. They said it is colossal waste and nobody has convinced us about the postponement. They cited security reasons. Billions of naira has gone down the drain. We are wasteful.
"I am not in their party. My party has no candidate in Edo. I just know that it is wrong. We have fixed this date for a long time and they first said it was because of WAEC but the date it has been shifted to again also has WAEC exams. Are you now going to ask WAEC to change the date also? We are still playing games. I am sure that if APC were sure that they will win Edo election, they will not have postponed it."
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