Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has slammed the leadership style of President Jonathan describing Nigerians as worse off ever since the President took the helms of leadership in the country.
Fashola was a guest speaker at former Bayelsa Governor, Timipre Sylva’s birthday lecture in Abuja.
In the lecture titled “The challenge of democratic governance”, Fashola said, “Until recently, we all used to think that our national development was inhibited by the fact that we never had a university graduate as leader of any national government in an executive càpacity.
“We now have two graduates, a zoologist and an architect, at the helm of our national affairs, and I think majority of Nigerians will tell you today that their lives are worse off today than they were four years ago.”
“There are needs for more attributes that you can’t find in a classroom or in a school.” He added
Fashola also condemned the President for inviting the parents of the Chibok girls to Abuja to commiserate with them.
“Truly strange and truly unAfrican.” He asked, “How does this sound? ‘
“Hello neighbour, I heard you lost your child to abductors. Please come and see me at home so I can sympathise with you’.
“This is my paraphrasing of what has so far transpired. As if this was not bad enough, the event had been followed by another round of lies about whether or not they tried to give money to the bereaved parents. For me, it’s a low point for leadership, it suggests lack of empathy.
According to him, “The first lie when the news of the abduction broke was that all the abducted girls had been retrieved.
“When that was exposed, the next lie was to raise doubts whether they were truly missing.
“When that was not enough, they are now telling us that they know where the children are. We are prayerfully waiting that they will bring the children home.”
“The event has been followed by other round of liès. The abduction of the girls have been enmeshed in lies. They have also lied about the economy, within the same household, within the central bank and the federal ministry of finance, we had very clear difference, whether $48 billion or $20 billion.
“The ideas of the freedom to think, to sleep and to ask questions is too valuable for me to exchange for development under an autocratic or democratic government.
“If the only options left for me to chose were between freedom and development, I for one will rather surrender development than freedom. So, I worry when I hear some people say today that it is part of their achievement that they allow us to express ourselves. I think that is utter rubbish.
“I am really convinced beyond doubt that democracy can still deliver development.
On political parties, he said: “If we must achieve development in democracy, the vehicle of politics, the political parties must first be developed as first class institutions. The first thing to seek is the idea behind governance and this is often contained in the programme of political parties.”
“If you look at the level of progress and development in the states govern by the old and new opposition parties and government, there is a clear daylight in terms of development.”
“For example, it is no coincidence that only two states, Lagos and Rivers, governed now by APC governors are executing rail projects on their own mass transit.”
“The party in government has lied about when there will be stable electricity for 16 years. An APC state, Lagos has led the way, in showing what is possible. There is power initiative in Egbin, Akute, Lagos Island, Alausa, Ikeja and Lekki to be delivered later this year.”
“The party in power decides to continue importing fuel with the attendant disruptions and monumental …, Lagos believes that in a partnership, it is possible, if you provide land, for Nigerians to produce enough petroleum products for consumption and still export within a four year period.”
He said: “They have lied on security. The first thing they said was that those who are undermining security were in government. Now the story has changed, they say it is the opposition. This is not quite the same thing as bringing down the country because government can be removed by legitimate and constitutional means, that is the ballot box.”.