N 10 Billion Independence Celebration: An extravagance of public funds Going by the delinquency and malfeasance going around the country, we are compelled to state our position on some of these issues. The National Association of Nigerian students (NANS) condemns in totality the indiscriminate and extravagant decision of the FG to expend N 10 Billion to celebrate independence without wisdom or discipline, when after 50 years of sovereignty
as a nation yet nothing to talk home about. Our nation is in a brink of failure, our democracy threatened; our economy is sinking by the day due to reckless management of public funds.
It is inconceivable for us to spend N 10 Billion to celebrate independence when our educational institutions can’t boost of a standard laboratories/libraries, our university lecturers are earning far below their counterpart in other Africa countries, when even workers in the country can’t earn decent wage to help meet up with their financial obligation.
It regrettable that in the Nigeria of today, many businesses cannot borrow money or make payroll, many families cannot pay their bills or their mortgage and if such indiscriminate waste of tax payers’ monies continues, it will only make our economy sink down the gutter, our nation will lose the generation of potential promise as most young Nigerians would be force to forego their dreams of education or the chance to train for jobs for a future industrial nation, all these would make our nation loose it competitive edge that has serve as our strength and standing in the world.
We urge President Goodluck Jonathan to rebuild the lost trust and confidence between the people and the government by doing what is right and necessary and not what is popular. If he is sincere to Nigerians, he must end the culture of anything goes, he should trade old habit for a renew spirit of responsibility so as to set a new and better course for Nigeria.
NANS however call on Mr. President in strong terms to reverse his decision of squandering the nation’s resource – on a frivolous exercise but rather to put money in the pocket of the Nigerian people, create new jobs and invest in our future.
We equally call on President Goodluck to focus his priorities on Power, healthcare, infrastructure and education by equipping our universities and colleges with the state-of-the-art laboratories and libraries together with providing us new technologies and a firsthand overseas trainings for our teachers all these are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century.
Comrade Nazir Galadanchi
Senate President, NANS