Delta state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has lamented that politics in Nigeria does not encourage the eradication of corruption.
The governor, who made the remark at the annual re-union of Class 81 of the Nigeria Airforce Military School, Jos at the weekend, urged political leaders to work for the interest of the people and the country rather than for self.
The event featured a lecture with the theme; Path to Purposeful and Legacy Leadership in Asaba, the Delta state capital.
Okowa, who decried a situation where money is becoming a strong determining factor in who holds what positions, said there should be emphasis on health, education and good moral upbringing for children to enable them become good leaders and better citizens of the country.
“I hope one day, our politicians will be futuristic in their actions, put the interest of the people first and not what they stand to gain as individuals; that way, our country will be better. We hope that one day, we will have leaders who will be compassionate about our people and about the nation.
“The question is, are the emerging political leaders ready to play by the rules? Most of those who want to do the right thing are constrained by money; so, the way politics is played in Nigeria does not encourage the eradication of corruption.
“The perception concerning politics and the way it is played is a great challenge in our country. If only we can start to rework our thought process to positively think more about how the people feels, how our actions and inactions are affecting the people, it will be good for us because, the politicians in Nigeria can do things right.
“People are made to spend money the way they ought not to in the political arena; someone who is running for an election must have a deep pocket otherwise, someone with a deep pocket will sponsor him and at the end, will be pulling the strings from behind.
“There is a new trend where the leaders take over the assemblies and the governor has to obey the leaders; our youth also want the immediate gratification; the current drive in the society is not good for our nation as we now have more youth that want to make quick money, engage in thuggery.”
