Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, at the weekend, said he is surprised no one is in jail over acts of corruption despite what he described as obvious corrupt practices in the country.
Oshiomhole said “until leadership in Nigeria changes from the arrogance of power, perpetual infighting, accommodating corruption and impunity and finding excuses for failure to meet popular expectations, I am afraid, most of our educational institutions, both private and public, would never meet world standards.’’
He stated this in a speech entitled: “Education and National Development,” which he delivered at the 2013 convocation ceremony of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City.
Represented by the Secretary to Edo State Government, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, Oshiomhole said “Nigerians spend over N80 billion annually on medical tourism and treatment overseas just as we put our kids in foreign and African universities and this is with over N2 trillion lost to the fuel subsidy cartel, not to mention how much is lost annually to oil thieves.
He said, “if, with a leadership from the South-South, we have not made appreciable progress on the conditions of the Niger Delta, the East West Road, and the coastal railway, let us continue to hope because we are used to hoping, the elasticity of hope in Nigeria is limitless.
“Major companies like Unilever and Dunlop are closing down, setting up shops in Ghana and throwing thousands of families into unemployment, hunger and social pressure. I believe we should just leave the issue of power for another day after we fully understand what the GENCOS, DISCOS, and TRANCOS are doing,” Oshiomhole said.