Amaechi, Ex-UK Foreign Secretary Urge FG To Stop Corruption Anayo Onukwugha — March 12, 2014 Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, former British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, and former prime minister of Ireland, John Brutton, have called on the federal government of Nigeria to find ways of eliminating corruption in the country. The trio made the call yesterday while speaking at a one-day international conference on democracy and good governance, held at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. Others who spoke at the event included human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana, Senator Olumide Mamora, former vice chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Don Baridam, and a don, Professor Willie Okowa. In his speech, Amaechi, who described corruption as endemic, said the National Assembly had not shown enough courage to fight corruption in Nigeria. The governor wondered why the clamour for resource control by the people of the South South geopolitical zone of the country was stopped immediately President Goodluck Jonathan was elected into office, even when the president had not signed any document granting the people of the zone their demand for resource control. He said, “In 2005 and 2006, there was this clamour for resource control; but today, nobody is shouting for resource control again. Today, nobody is saying that South South people are marginalised. Nigeria has given us power; have we changed the documents to control the resources? “What Nigeria has done to the people of South South is that by the end of the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan, nobody can talk about resource control again. Who again will give us that resource control?” Earlier in his lecture, former British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said the only way to eliminate corruption in the society was to ensure that corrupt leaders were tried in law courts and sent to prison and their properties confiscated. Straw, who spoke on the topic “Democracy, Nationhood and Citizenship Rights, Freedom and Responsibilities in a Global Order”, said the failure to implement the 1999 Constitution to its fullest was the main problem of Nigeria. Advocating a transparent electoral system as Nigerians approach the 2015 general elections, the former British foreign secretary called for the translation of the 1999 Constitution for the benefit of all Nigerians. In his lecture entitled ‘The Dynamics of Contention within the Realities of State Building: Debating their Essence and Limitation’, former prime minister of Ireland, John Brutton, said if Nigeria could attract over 100,000 Nigerian professionals living in North America back to the country, the country would develop more than it is now. Brutton said, “About three million Nigerians are living in North America. Out of this number, over 100,000 are qualified medical practitioners and they are all living in North America. If Nigeria could attract these professionals back to the country, Nigeria will be more developed than it is now.”
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 03:17:51 +0000