Former Special Adviser to late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina has charged Nigerian leaders to walk the talk.
Adesina said most of the Nigerian youths are frustrated because they are unable to secure good jobs or enjoy better quality of life.
The former presidential aide said this at an annual public lecture organised by the Foursquare Gospel Church, Aba Ibeji, in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, it was learnt.
“Poor leadership and corruption are holding Nigeria back,” he said.
For him “Nigeria has all that it takes to move forward, large youthful population, rich natural resources, fertile land, good geographical location.
“Corruption and poor leadership are what is holding Nigeria back. Nigeria is endowed with human and natural resources but unfortunately, it has not translated to wealth.”
“The promises made by past and present leaders of the country have not been fulfilled, and he has called on present leaders to turn their words into action so that citizens will benefit from the resources of the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of Youth and Sports under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Solomon Dalung, has also slammed the Presidency’s defense of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations concerning Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
Dalung said the official response from presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, failed to answer critical questions about how a supposedly fictitious presidential agency operated within government circles.
He said while the Presidency tried to exonerate Gbajabiamila, its explanation exposed gaping holes in government oversight.
The Presidency must explain how an individual allegedly forged an appointment letter, operated from the Federal Secretariat, recruited personnel, engaged government institutions, met diplomats and reportedly obtained a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account without being detected, he said.
He also questioned reports that the alleged agency was included in the national budget.
“If the council was fake how did it get into the budget,” Dalung said.
He said budget proposals undergo several stages of executive and legislative scrutiny before approval and asked who introduced, processed and approved the alleged provision.
Dalung also asked how the office space was allegedly got at the Federal Secretariat, who gave approval for the allocation of the space and why the operation was not discovered earlier.
He also challenged reports of the death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, who investigators said was identified by Adeyemi as the person who helped procure the alleged forged appointment letter.
Dalung asked if investigators had conducted an autopsy, coroner’s inquest or forensic review of Tanimola’s communications and financial records.
But Dalung said while the allegations against Adeyemi were before the court, accountability should not end with the prosecution of one person.
The government must explain how its institutions either interacted or failed to detect what the presidency now calls a fictitious agency, he said.
Dalung urged the Presidency to release documentary evidence, timelines and official records on the inclusion of the alleged agency in the national budget, its reported operations within the Federal Secretariat and the failure of institutional safeguards.
