Candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the last gubernatorial election in Kwara State, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to genuinely tackle corruption and give Nigerians a sense of belonging and pride in 2013.
Belgore made this appeal in his New Year message, saying the outgone Year 2012 cannot be described as eventful for the citizens of the country, as no area of the country witnessed any considerable growth.
He reminded the government that roads have become irritating to travel on just as other sectors of the country have been steeped in problems.
He said the very first step to effectively tackling the issues in 2013 is for the government to first admit its failure so that the people would know where to render their help.
He also urged the Kwara State government to begin to behave more responsibly and govern in the best interest of the people. According to him, the events of 2012 have shown beyond doubt that Kwara people want genuine change and real socioeconomic and political empowerment, which should not be like the window dressing of past years.
Observing that Kwara lags behind in basic infrastructure and human capital development, he criticised the Abdulfattah Ahmed-led government for presenting a 2013 budget where recurrent expenditure (N51b) exceeds capital expenditure (N42.6b).
According to the ACN chieftain, the outgone 2012 cannot be said to be an eventful one for the people of Nigeria, be it in terms of security, job opportunities, economic empowerment, power, road network or other basic infrastructure required to give citizens a sense of belonging and pride.
“Corruption must be tackled head-on and necessary things done to stem the tide of insecurity. To be sure, government must be accountable and transparent, and run solely for the benefit of the populace, not just a tiny ruling clique whose greed, arrogance and insensitivity may explain the rising anger in the land,” he said.
"Back home in Kwara, the PDP government should behave more responsibly and govern in the best interest of the people. While our people are indeed peace-loving and unassuming, they cannot continue to endure lies being told in the name of governance.
“The state's 2013 budget, where recurrent expenditure, standing at N51bn exceeds capital expenditure, pegged at N42.6bn, does not show a government in tune with the yearnings of the impoverished masses and global trend.
“And for a state clearly on the lower rung of social, economic and human capital development, such budget estimate calls for worry by concerned citizens who are conscious of the dictates of the time and consequences of enriching a corrupt few at the expense of the majority of the populace.
Still, he expressed hope that the state Assembly would rightly raise issues with the budget estimates, which has been found to be ridiculous and running foul of the government's 'Shared Prosperity' mantra.
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