The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Thursday said that Nigeria must urgently move towards true federalism.
He spoke in Abuja while unveiling the book ‘Making Steady, Sustainable Progress for Nigeria’s Peace and Prosperity’ at the old Banquet Hall of the State House.
The 360 page book is a mid-term scorecard on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and put together by Presidential Media Team.
Tinubu, who was the Special Guest of honor at the occasion, also insisted that Nigeria can’t grow without robust industrial capacity in the country.
Stressing that President Buhari administration has changed the story of Nigeria for good in the last two years; he maintained that Nigeria is now more prosperous than it was two years ago.
“The good that you have started, do it more.” he told the President.
According to him, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan won gold medal in corruption.
He said that so much money grew feet and ran faster than Jamaican runner, Usani Bolt, under Jonathan’s administration.
The money that should have been spent on development, he noted, was squandered in ways that could cause the devil to blush.
He said “The prior government used the public treasury as a private hedge fund or a charity that limited its giving only to themselves.
“So much money grew feet and ran away faster than Usain Bolt ever could. That which could have been spent on national development was squandered in ways that would cause the devil to blush.
“One minister and her rogues’ gallery picked the pocket of this nation for billions of dollars. While poor at governance, these people could give a master thief lessons in the sleight of hand. In governance, they earned a red card but in corruption l, they won the gold medal.
“It was not that our institutions had become infected by corruption. Corruption has become institutionalized”.
According to him, corruption has been won as President Buhari has set an axe to what he called, “the root of this dangerous tree.”
He noted that gone are the times when a minister can pilfer billions of dollars as easy as plucking a piece of candy from the table.
Tinubu said “We have much to do to combat this disease. Not only must we track down the takers. In the long term, we must review the salaries of public servants and create universal credits for our people to reduce temptation.”