Shun Ill-gotten Wealth – Bafarawa Tells Politicians
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – A Presidential aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa has challenged Nigerian politicians to shun the wild quest for wealth acquisition to the detriment of good governance in the country.
He said it is important for politicians and public officers to eschew activities that odiously support diversion of public funds meant for the nation’s overall socio-economic development.
Speaking with journalists on current political developments in the polity in Abuja on Thursday, Alhaji Bafarawa expressed concern that some politicians were more interested and focused on personal aggrandizement rather than service to the people.
“The politics of Nigeria today is not like that of yesterday. In the past, people joined politics to contribute their quota to the nation’s development but that has changed.”
“Many politicians see politics as a small-scale industry, where people can be making money out”, the PDP Chieftain lamented
According to Bafarawa, over 90 per cent of Nigerian politicians were “political office seekers, hence our democracy has continued to move back and forth”, stressing that it is imperative for politicians and political parties in the country to uphold the principles of democracy by putting aside their selfish interests for the overall goos of Nigerians.
The former governor, who accused the nation’s political class and the parties of having no respect for the principles and tenets of democracy, said political parties remained supreme and above political office holders in every democracy.
Bafarawa also said Nigerians must brace up to demand democracy dividends from their leaders, noting that the cardinal principle of every political party in a democracy is entrenched in its manifesto that plainly outlines its policies and programmes.
He said with the manifesto serving as a benchmark for measuring office holders’ performance, the idea is for the next government and new occupants of the office to continue with their party’s manifesto to ensure continuity and sustainable development in the polity.
