By; Bala B. Bitrus, Minna.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state has attributed the collapse of public institutions and establishments in the country to the non challant attitudes of public office holders particularly the elite core.
He said such complacency and disregard on the part of those in positions of authority have led to the death of whatever is publicly owned.
The Governor noted that public schools, health care delivery institutions, among such nationally owned and funded establishments have over time been brought down to commatoss by public office holders particularly political office holders who prefer to patronize and support the private ones instead.
Governor Bello opined that the only way to salvage the worsening situation is to create enabling legislation that makes it mandatory for all political office holders to send their children and wards to public schools to stem the slide and arrest the decay and for the revival and sustenance of the public sector.
He also suggested that governments should revamp and properly equip all public healthcare delivery centres to stem the tide in medical tourism to curb the flights of huge foreign exchange by those seeking for medical attention abroad.
He argued that our local healthcare system will attain efficiency and relevance when elected and appointed public officers patronise what we have at home.
The Governor made this call while receiving the President, Children’s Government of Nigeria, Hauwa Musa and members of her executives who were on a visit to the Government House.
Governor Bello explained that if our elites, public office holders and political appointees are compel to patronize public schools for their children and wards, our schools would work efficiently. He blamed the neglect of public schools and health centres over the years to complacency on the part of people in positions of authority, saying charity must always starts at home.
“It is sad that we have reduced our public schools to the backdoor because Governors and their Deputies, Commissioners and others in positions of authority do not send their children and wards to public schools”.
“The only way for our public schools to function is for the children of our political office holders to go to these schools. We need to review our public schools policy” he said.
He said it is unfortunate that public schools and health facilities which are available to the common man were either in bad shape or non existent.
President of Children’s Government of Nigeria, Hauwa Musa had earlier enumerated some of the focus of her administration to include welfare of children particularly the vulnerable and less privileged, care of orphans left behind by the country’s fallen heroes and others died in the service of the country.
She said plans were afoot to raise funds to sponsor the education of some orphans of fallen heroes from primary school up to university level.
Miss Hauwa disclosed also that her administration would roll out programme for the empowerment of widows and launch medical care project for injured Military men who are fighting terrorism, militancy in the creeks and other criminal elements in various troubled spots across the country.
