…Says he is in government for food
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed as senseless insensitive and smacks of illiterate posture, a statement credited to Governor Hope Uzodinma of the Imo State in which he reportedly lampooned opposition politicians as hunger infested bunch of people.
Lamenting that the state of governance in Nigeria has never fallen this deeper into disrepute, the Civil Rights Advocacy group in a statement said that the impression created by Governor Uzodinma that opposition politicians will die of hunger unless they crossed over to the All Progressive Congress (APC) is primitive, jaundiced, unconstitutional and a public disgrace to Nigeria in the community of civilized nations.
HURIWA states; “It is clear that Hope Uzodinma is bereft of the values of good governance and is motivated to join politics by his desires not to starve since in his warped imagination, politics especially by the set of politicians who hold Public Offices is to come and eat because food is ready.
“This wrong perception of politics is the reason Imo State is grossly misruled and there is ballooning poverty, unemployment, collapse of essential state infrastructures, apathy and a rapidly expanding frontiers of distrust by the public on the politicians”.
“It is our humble opinion that the Imo State governor should take few days to read the scholarly books on governance, public policies, constitutionalism and democracy so he understands the place of multi-partisanship, opposition politics and the essence of public service by the governors which revolves around the will to serve and not to be served.
“We make haste to remind the Imo State governor of what a brilliant brain in Public Policy stated about the import of public policy that it is first important to understand the concept of ‘public” for a discussion of public policy. We often use such terms as public interest, public sector public opinion, public health, and so on.
“The starting point is that Public Policy has to do with those spheres which are so labelled as public as opposed to spheres moving the idea of private. The concept of public policy presupposes that there is an area or domain of life which is not private or purely individual, but held in common. Public dimension is generally referred to ‘public ownership or control for public purpose.
“The public comprises that domain of human activity which is regarded as requiring governmental intervention or common action. However there has always been a conflict between what is public and what is private,” the Rights group stated.
HURIWA stressed that it is obvious that Governor Hope Uzodinma, who was quoted in the media as having taken the ‘Ben Johnson’ way to become the Imo State governor allegedly, is the same character that is spreading the poisonous chalice containing the toxic perception that public office is all about what to eat by the public office holders as against clearly established public good.
It therefore tasked Uzodinma to read chapter 2 Section 17 of the 1919 Constitution as amended to understand the essence of government thus: Section 17-(1) The State order is founded on ideals of freedom equality and Justice
(2) In furtherance of the social order
(a) Every citizen shall have equality of rights, obligations and opportunity before the law
(b) Sanctity of the human person shall be recognize and human dignity shall be maintained and enhanced
(c) Governmental actions shall be humane;
(d) Exploitation of human or natural resources in any form whatsoever for reasons, other than the good of the community shall be prevented; and
(e) The independence, impartiality and integrity of courts of law, and easy accessibility thereto shall be secured and maintained.
3 The State shall direct its policy towards ensuring that
(a) All citizens, without discrimination on any group whatsoever have the opportunity for securing adequate means of livelihood as well as adequate opportunity to secure suitable employment;
(b) Conditions of work are just and humane, and that there are adequate abilities for leisure and for social, religious and cultural life;
(c) The health, safety and welfare of all person in employment are Safeguarded and not endangered or abused;
(d) There are adequate medical and health facilities for all persons;
(e) There is equal pay for equal work without discrimination on account of sex, or on any other ground whatsoever;
(f) Children; young persons and the aged are protected against any exploitation whatsoever, and against moral and material neglect;
(g) Provision is made for public assistance in deserving cases or other conditions of need; and
(h) The evolution and promotion of family life is encouraged.”
HURIWA said that besides, Section 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria absolutely prohibits discrimination on the basis of party affiliations amongst others just as it wondered if Imo State truly has an independent State House of Assembly when they have a governor, who spreads the toxic idea that politics is about personal aggrandizement.
