Ikeakor, Obi lament Nigeria’s high cost of governance, level of corruption

The Bishop of Amichi Diocese, Anglican Communion, Most Rev Ephraim Ikeakor, and the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019elections, Mr. Peter Obi, have both spoken out against what they described asbthe high cost of governance and the alarming level of corruption in Nigeria,saying a combination of the two were killing the country economically and politically.

BishopIkeakor, who made this known in his homily during the burial of Mrs MillicentNnenna Ukachukwu, wife of Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, called on political leaders“to amend their ways and ensure that the public funds meant for the people areput into judicious use and not wasted on self-aggrandisement and sponsoring one’sextravagance”. He warned that leaders who insist on syphoning public funds forpersonal use would face the wrath of God.

Speakingto the press after the event, Mr. Peter Obi said that the first step towardsexiting the present economic recession the country has fallen into, is cuttingthe cost of governance which he described as outrageous and not sustainable. Headvised the government to only spend money on projects that are beneficial tothe public.

Hesaid: “Good governance in any nation is achieved by careful planning. When Iwas the Governor of Anambra State, we planned carefully, budgeted properly andlooked inwards to bridge budgetary gaps, by weeding out things that were notnecessary. One of the things we did was to close down numerous guest houses andlodges we had here and there.

“Weclosed our Abuja Lodge and gave it out to United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) to use. I cut down the number of vehicles attached to my convoy when Idiscovered that most of them were empty. I stopped the daily killing of cows ingovernment house. I cut down the cost of my trips to Abuja, by traveling withonly those that were necessary and getting generous discounts from Anambra peoplethat own hotels in Abuja.”