By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
The Bishop of Amichi Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rev Ephraim Ikeakor, and the Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, have condemned high cost of governance and high level corruption in Nigeria.
They said that if the trend was not changed, the combination of the two would kill the country economically and politically.
Bishop Ikeakor made the condemnation during the burial of Mrs Millicent Nnenna Ukachukwu, the wife of Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu.
He called on political leaders to amend their ways and ensure that the public funds meant for the people were put into judicious use and not wasted on self-aggrandisement and sponsoring one’s extravagance.
He warned that leaders who insist on syphoning public funds for personal use would face the wrath of God.
Also at the event, Mr. Peter Obi, said that the first step towards exiting the country’s present economic recession was cutting the cost of governance, which he described as outrageous and not sustainable.
He advised the government to only spend money on projects that would benefit the public.
His words: “Good governance in any nation is achieved by careful planning. When I was the governor of Anambra State, we planned carefully, budgeted properly and looked inwards to bridge budgetary gaps by weeding out things that were not necessary.
“One of the things we did was to close down numerous guest houses and lodges we had here and there.
“We closed 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 I discovered that most of them were empty. I stopped the daily killing of cows in government house. I cut down the cost of my trips to Abuja, by traveling with only those that were necessary and getting generous discounts from Anambra people that own hotels in Abuja”.