Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has sharply criticized the federal government and members of the National Assembly for their lavish spending despite the worsening hunger and economic hardship in Nigeria.
During an interview on Channels TV on Tuesday, Ezekwesili accused both the presidency and the National Assembly of turning themselves into “bandits” against the Nigerian people. Her remarks were in response to the recent purchase of a new presidential aircraft by President Bola Tinubu.
Ezekwesili expressed outrage at the government’s insensitivity to the growing poverty among Nigerians, stating, “That aircraft is 19 years old. In everything that we have heard, they are trying to justify the purchase of the new aircraft.”
“The fellows dare to play with the intelligence of the public. The executive, the presidency, the National Assembly, I think they have decided that they are the bandits.”, She added.
She did not hold back in her condemnation of the political class, saying, “The political class has decided that they are bandits against Nigerians, because I do not see how it is feasible that the priority of a government that has this level of biting hunger in the land, this level of poverty where people are dropping into poverty per minute will consider the purchase of aircraft for the president.”
Ezekwesili also criticized other extravagant government expenditures, including the construction of N20 billion homes for the vice president and the purchase of luxury cars for members of the National Assembly and the executive.
“What exactly is that?” she asked rhetorically.
She further noted that President Tinubu should not be pitied for inheriting the economic situation, as he had supported the policies of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
“This administration agreed with everything Buhari was doing. There in their own case nobody should feel sorry for them,” she asserted.
Ezekwesili emphasized the need for political literacy among Nigerians, warning that the lack of it leads to poor governance.
“You cannot have education, an advanced one, and have political literacy that then the country will not matter to you,” she concluded.
By Gabriel Ani
