When FEC is out of job

At the meeting last Wednesday, various contracts were approved for award among which were those of procurement of books for primary 4 pupils to the tune of about N400 million. Another contract was in respect of a billion naira for the procurement of books for secondary schools across the country to be bought from McMillan […]

At the meeting last Wednesday, various contracts were approved for award among which were those of procurement of books for primary 4 pupils to the tune of about N400 million. Another contract was in respect of a billion naira for the procurement of books for secondary schools across the country to be bought from McMillan et al.

Our worry is that such an interesting and ideally critical body of policy is reduced to a tenders’ board. Is it that the federal tenders board has lost its meaning and value to the extent that even minor contracts that are of concurrent or even residual nature are taken as a major item on the agenda of the council which ordinarily ought to be worried and pre-occupied with the numerous crisis that are afflicting the nation?

This very dangerous trend actually was started and encouraged by the government of General Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007. The reason probably had to do with the fact that the president and his government believed that they are sacrosanct and infallible to the extent that the messianic instincts prevailed on them not to trust anybody else for everyone else was corrupt.

In the end, what we saw was that the government and its holier than thou operators had indeed perpetrated some of the worst forms of corruption ever in the history of this country. We are worried because the Federal Executive Council is ideally the highest routine policy body that advises the president on any issue that is under the sun.

One would have thought that what needs to be done is for the council to on routine basis continue to tackle the myriads of problems that are afflicting the nation. Is it not true that the nation does not have minimum power supply? Is it not true that the nation’s educational system is in severe crisis? Is it not true that the health sector is in shambles? Is not true that most Nigerian roads are unsecured?

On a weekly basis, the council ministers meet and at the end of the meetings what we see is one minister or the other briefs the nation but the main item that always emerge out of these meetings is the billions that are approved for one contract or the other.

One of the reasons why there is high level of hostility between the people and those who represent them at the various levels of government is apart from the manner of emergence, thea issue of irrelevance. One would think that the council would pay more attention to minor and major issues that are affecting people on minute by minute basis.

My advice to the government is that there is the need to have a re-think. More important issues should form the basis of discussion at the weekly or bi weekly meetings of the Federal Executive Council. Nigerians are hungry. They desire more serious policies that would propel them out of poverty. That would provide them shelter, food, job opportunities, better health services and education for their children.

At the moment, the nation ranks amongst the lowest in the world as far as human development index is concerned. There is the need to make policies that would ensure effective and efficient utilization of resources, both human and material, so that the lots of the people will be bettered.

I do not think that the council is really adding any value to governance by wasting precious time in approving or taking decisions on what other institution of government could do and have done in the past. It is certainly a joke and should be stopped please. Quality time should be devoted to critical issues of state that are directly affecting the lives of the people.

Nigerians are desperately in need of development and what we will need more is for our government to take the lead by being pro active instead of reducing itself to mere contracting politics. It appears that is the only memo that ministers take to the Federal Executive Council these days. This is unfortunate and should be stopped.

The road to 2020 is as far as it is near. The thing to do is to put and make all concerted efforts in ensuring that genuine strategic policies that would propel the nation into attaining the desirable goals of the year 2020 are put in place. There is certainly no time, and action is what is required and not rhetoric.