Former Governor of the old Ondo State, Bamidele Olumilua, says until Nigeria is able to resolve its leadership problem, there can’t be meaning economic or political growth. He agrees that the country’s democracy is in the learning process even as he decries the attitudes of some elected leaders insisting that the level of corruption in the country has hampered development.
“We see that so much of our resources are stashed away outside this country,” Olumilua said in an interview with the Sunday Punch. “Somebody said if Britain spends the amount of money that Nigerians stashed away there, they will be bankrupt. So much of the money that this country has is kept outside even by people in authority. I think we are still to learn that we should serve the people.
“ Some people are learning it; civilians are coming to terms with it now that they must learn how to manage resources so that they can grow in wealth, influence, affluence and blessings. We are in the school of democracy and I believe that when we see the incidents of malfunctioning of resources and misuse of resources, we pray that God should give us the men after His heart that can lead this country. “There is so much poverty and unemployment. Why? We are concentrating on ourselves. Our leaders are self-centred. The politician often thinks he is the leader of the people. He thinks that to be able to make all the money, he has to exploit as much as possible
“Every nation has its milestones. Milestones such as if you are going to Ibadan from Lagos, you have several ways; you can take Abeokuta, you can go through Ijebu Ode and you can go through Sagamu. There are too many ways to solve or walk through to your vision. The individuals that have managed the country’s affairs as either military or civilian rulers are different characters.
“I don’t judge circumstances and situations. Some of those who ruled this country did very well. But the fact that they are soldiers takes the shine off their achievements. Some of them are good. A former military leader once said ‘I have something to say to you – Money is not my problem but how to spend it’. That was a challenge – money is not our problem, but how to spend it is our problem.
“ That went down to my mind. That is one thing that many people did not reflect on. What has happened to this nation? Are leaders not supposed to run affairs well and increase the influence and affluence of government and the citizenry? When we come to the realisation that money is not our problem but how to spend it for the benefit and blessing of the people, what did we do? Some other countries would have known what to do to turn their places to paradise if they had had the level of affluence in terms of mineral resources and other endowments that Nigeria has. We are as wonderfully blessed as America.”
