Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi has argued it is not only past leaders that can be adjudged as honest in Nigeria’s history.
The former governor believes certain, including himself, of the current crop of leaders are equally transparent.
In his remarks, Amaechi, who was the chairman of the occasion, said it was not true that only past leaders were honest.
To prove his point during the launch of a book written by the late Matthew Mbu, a former minister at 23, Amaechi, who chaired the event, declared he earned N950,000 a month out of which he also paid his staff.
“A minister earns only N950, 000 a month. Out of this money, N350, 000 is for accommodation so there is no more money given to you. The remaining N600, 000 includes payment for your staff, personal assistants and all that,” said Ameachi.
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari’s government had helped to stop the culture of waste such that private citizens no longer throw lavish parties.
“That is one benefit of this government. We now assess our wealth and value money,’ he said.
“Before, once you get money from the illegal means, we hold parties. There are very few parties these days because there is no more money to hold such parties.”
He said the reason for this prudence is that the ‘owambe’ money used to come from the government, and there is no such money in the present government to do such.
Speaking at the occasion, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan extolled the integrity of Nigeria’s founding fathers who he said did their exploits when they were young.
According to the cleric, it is worrisome now that the older generation is refusing to leave the scene for the younger generation.
“The point I want to make is this; today when you hear that a young boy was a minister, my mind always goes to those days too and I ask, how many people were old then?”
He urged Nigerians to teach the heroics of these past leaders to the younger generation as a source of inspiration.
Onaiyekah, howeverm agreed that youth may not necessarily mean competence, and it doesn’t matter that a 70-year-old is sesking re-election.
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