An All Progressives Congress, APC, Chieftain and Ekiti Central Senatorial Aspirant, Prof. Emmanuel Dada, has lamented the decay in the Nation’s educational sector, faulting what he described as the insensitivity and lackadaisical approach of the Government to the lingering Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, strike.
The United States of America based Educational don at the Lehigh University, USA, said poor funding of the country’s Universities and the carefree attitude of leaders in government has made the Nation’s educational sector a laughing stock among its peers around the world.
Stressing further, Dada said this was so because all the people in government have their children schooling abroad, with children of the poor bearing the brunt.
He also condemned the high cost of nomination forms sold by his party to aspirants, describing the situation as appalling, which, according to him, will encourage corruption when such aspirants get to the office.
The Chemical Engineer at the Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA, who had planned to throw his hat in the 2023 Senatorial race in Ekiti Central said he had to withdraw from the race based on the cost of the nomination form.
Addressing a Press Conference in Maryland, Lagos, Dada expressed disappointment, saying with the situation on the ground, Nigeria’s democracy was witnessing what he described as “money baggie” kind of democracy “where the nomination process has been sold to the highest bidders out of reach of ordinary Nigerians.
“Today, marks another sad day in the history of our country, Nigeria wherein we are witnessing the current unacceptable “money baggie” of Nigeria democracy where the nomination process has been sold to the highest bidders out of reach of ordinary Nigerians,” he said.
Speaking further, the sitting Chairman, APC- USA chapter, Houston, maintained that when people buy forms at a high cost, there is the tendency them stealing money to recoup what they had spent, even as he argued that their entitlement for four years when they found themselves in the office is not up to the cost of the nomination form.
“Take for instance N100 million for nomination form for president, almost more than twice the basic salary for four- year term of the President! If this is not in your face signal that go out there and steal government money to recoup the political expenses and help yourself beyond that, then I do not know what else to call it.
“There is no justification for these astronomical price tags and neither can it be rationalized,” he declared.
He has, however, announced his withdrawal from the race, stressing that his aspiration to seek Senate seat was inspired to deliver a salvation message to Nigerians that it was time to “bell the cat,” by restructuring the country.
According to him, “we have been doing the same over and over and expecting a different result.”
He, however, said he would be consulting his people as to his next political move, adding that “the message may need a different vehicle, a different political party that is more inclined towards a better and more prosperous Nigeria.”
“Nigeria must restructure to a more true federation system, where we should go back to the 1963 Republican Constitution with the then three regions having their separate Constitution, separate police system, and separate economy and each grew in their own respective spaces and Nigeria was prosperous then.
“There is the need to restructure the country. The high amount fixed for nomination form is a fraud, I can’t risk paying N20 million for Senatorial form and one would be told later that the party has a candidate in mind for the race,” he said.
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