Nigerians Disappointed Because They Look For Results In Wrong Place – Fashola

• State, local government are responsible for primary healthcare and water supply – Fashola

Minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, says the widespread disinterest in the celebration of the 60th independence anniversary of Nigeria is because citizens are not holding the right people in government accountable for their problems.

Fashola said Nigerians should focus more on their state governors and local government chairmen because they are the ones saddled with the responsibility of providing their basic needs.

The minister spoke at The Platform, an annual conference organised by Covenant Christian Centre in Lagos, on Thursday.

The virtual event hosted by Poju Oyemade, its convener, was to commemorate the nation’s 60th independence anniversary.

Majority of Nigerians have expressed their collective apathy towards the celebration of the independence anniversary, saying the country has not given them something to be happy about. They expressed  expressed disappointment over the state of the nation, 60 years after independence.

Many blamed the government at the centre over poor leadership and the ceaseless woes that betide the country.

However, Fashola said Nigerians are disappointed in the federal government and should rather pay more attention to the government at the local and state levels rather than the federal level.

The minister explained that the governments at both levels are directly responsible for providing basic education, primary healthcare, water supply, among other necessities of Nigerians.

“Government is not magic and we continue to project hope. But some Nigerians must realize that what we expect of the Nigerian federal government perhaps lies more with the state governors and the local government,” he said.

“Some of the most basic things are with them. So looking for it from the federal government perhaps is why we seem to have been disappointed because we are looking for the result in the wrong place. Waste management, water supply, primary healthcare, basic education, those are all things with the local and state government.”

“Federal government does not own a primary healthcare centre. In Nigeria, the federal government has roughly about 107 secondary schools. I will urge people to go and read the constitution. The powers the president has are about 25, many of them are circumscribed by the national assembly and judiciary.

“The government that can transform us and give us the things we want most quickly are the governments closest to us – state and local government. Security is a shared responsibility. Going forward in choosing leaders, we must make sure that we pay even greater attention to who is governor, who is a local government chairman than we pay to who is president.”

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