‘Incoming Govt Should Address Poverty By Tackling Corruption’

As time ticks for the inauguration of the newly elected leaders across the country, a constitutional lawyer Sebastine Hon (SAN) has told The Guardian that the first step the incoming government should take to address poverty is to tackle corruption so that public money will not end up in few private pockets.

“Then, small and medium scale businesses should be strengthened through deliberate government policies like reduction to single-digit levels of interests charged on loans to this target group. And of course, there should be a drastic improvement, call it a revolution in the power sector.

“This will act as a strong support base for our tottering and faltering small and medium scale industries. Finally, we cannot run away from agriculture. The USSR lost the cold war, not because it was deficient in technological know-how, but because the West, led by the USA, was sufficient in food production. If all these steps are taken, there will be an unprecedented grassroots development which will in turn lead to poverty reduction,” Hon said.

On electricity, the legal expert stressed that tackling corruption and extinguishing, using lawful means, the criminal bracket which has formed a gargantuan conspiratorial network against our collective will to have steady power should President-elect’s top priority.

“There is a powerful cross-border syndicate which imports most inferior generating sets and which, in collaboration with local agents, sabotage all efforts to tackle our power sector debacle. President-elect should involve the INTERPOL, the FBI and indeed all Nigeria’s international friends to fight this very powerful group otherwise he will be spending trillions of Naira without achieving anything. Finally, he should appoint a no nonsense and a completely incorruptible yet competent person to oversee this sector.”

He called for the revival of the existing social and healthcare insurance schemes.
According to him, National For Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other relevant agencies should be supported to checkmate influx or circulation of fake products.

He said: “Our universities need to be more properly funded. It is most shocking that no Nigerian University is ranked among the first 200 in the whole world! This makes us a huge laughing stock.

Research funds should be set aside and fully utilised to enable lecturers and researchers strive to reach their zenith, which will in turn be passed onto the students.

In his own remark, the Chief Medical Director, Oasis Children Specialist Hospital, Port-Harcourt, Dr. Appolous Josiah called on the incoming government in River state to tackle unemployment and provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

“Functional health system does not depend on physical infrastructure alone, but also include appropriate funding and management of the facilities to provide appropriate health care services.

The health centres should be made functional, while the senatorial districts should have a ‘super’ general hospital with a proper referral system.

The Braitewaite Memorial specialist hospital should be properly funded, equipped and staffed to provide training and expert care with autonomous management as a teaching hospital.

“The government should scrap the free medical service currently practiced and give free care to children and the aged- above 60 years,”Josiah said