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Prof Itse Sagay (SAN)
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A constitutional lawyer, Prof Itse Sagay
(SAN) and former Lagos State Military Governor Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa
yesterday expressed confidence that the President Muhammadu Buhari
administration will stamp out systemic corruption and indiscipline in the
country.
Sagay
and Gen. Marwa, who spoke separately, noted that the socio-economic woes facing
the country were direct consequences of indiscipline and corruption by past
governments.
They
noted that the new administration will ensure discipline and guarantee security
of lives and property.
The
lawyer, in an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN),
said it was unfortunate that as an oil producing nation, the country was still
experiencing scarcity of petrol.
Sagay
cited the current energy crisis confronting the nation due to scarcity of
petroleum products, which almost crippled the economy.
He
said such woes facing the nation were results of corruption and indiscipline,
insisting “they must be stamped out’’.
Sagay
said it had become imperative that the government must situate this in the
right perspective.
He
said the new administration must ensure urgent resuscitation of the moribund
refineries in the country for crude oil to be refined locally.
“We
must refine all our petroleum products within the country. We must stop the
importation of petroleum products. It is criminal for the country to purchase
petroleum products from non oil producing countries,” Sagay said.
The
senior advocate said Nigeria had all the devices to end the ongoing epileptic
power supply, which had further impoverished its citizens.
He
advised the government to allow communities to organize their own power supply
systems and become independent.
Sagay
called for the abolition of national grid system to allow for independent power
supply.
He
said government must not compel everybody to hook-on to the national grid that
had not been performing optimally.
Sagay
noted that the independent power stations were already in use in some parts of
Lagos State, and were effective.
Gen.
Marwa, who spoke at an event organised by Muslim League for Accountability
Initiative, a body of 54 Islamic organisations in the country at the Arewa
House in Kaduna, said Buhari should consider new ways of tackling the nation’s
problems to achieve the desired results.
Speaking
on the topic: “My Advice for Muhammadu Buhari”, Marwa and Prof. Idris Bugaje of
the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria listed some priority areas which the
president must work on to succeed.
The
former military governor said though he was not qualified to advise Buhari
“because he has seen it all having been General Officer Commanding (GOC),
minister, governor and Head of State, I will nonetheless fulfill my obligation
to the organisers of this lecture and do the needful since I have been asked
to”.
“Fear
of God, sense of justice and equity must be ensured. All Nigerians know these
are his qualities, but all those who will work in his government need to share
these qualities,” he stated.
He
assured the gathering that the President would “tame the Boko Haram insurgency
in the Northeast the moment the military is provided with the right tools and
wherewithal. They will do a good job”.
He
identified discipline as a major issue that must top Buhari’s agenda.
“We
all know that is his second name. He has done it before. He will do it better
this time. Although this is a civilian regime, he will find another way around
it to ensure that both government and the citizenry imbibe the culture of
discipline.”
“The
new administration has to device new ways of doing things. One of the areas
that require new approach is the power sector. All the while, our nation has
not really considered the coal option in the generation of power, whereas
indutrialized nations like the United States, Russia and many others rely on
coal. So, we have to look that way this time around to get out of this
perennial problem,” he said.
Gen.
Marwa noted that though there is need to cut cost in view of the nation’s
economic reality, the Buhari administration must consider the creation of
ministries of Wealth Creation and Poverty Alleviation as well as that of
Railway.
According
to him, “this is essential because no past Nigerian leader has received the
kind of support from the poor masses like President Buhari. So, the Ministry of
Wealth Creation and Poverty Alleviation must be created to take care of this
critical segment of our society. “Apart from this, for a population like
Nigeria, our mass transit should be railway. Hence, we need a Ministry of
Railway Transportation like in India. Railway transit will move millions at a
time, it will move goods and even petroleum products. It will move more people
than the airlines. If the airlines can have the Ministry of Aviation, then we
need Ministry of Railway.”
Gen. Marwa added: “New
refineries have to be built here and there. The old ones need to be repaired to
function effectively and then build a fuel reserve that can last for 90 days to
take care of emergency situations like industrial strikes and the rest.”
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