Taraba: Eschew Sycophancy, Uphold Accountability – Ezekwesili Tasks Gov Agbu, Appointees
By Emmanuel Awari, Jalingo
Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili has urged Governor Kefas Agbu and appointees of Taraba State government to embrace best practices in their quest for economic growth.
In a press statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media and Digital Communication to Governor Kefas Agbu, Mr. Emmanuel Bello, the former education minister said appointees must see public office as a vehicle to pursue public trust.
She said that policies and strong institutions anchored on the rule of law is the way to go.
“Using the famed Singaporean example, Nigeria has no excuse not to excel.
“Delving into history, Nigeria and Singapore were at par at a time but today Singapore has moved on due to strong political will.
According to her, public office is an opportunity to serve others and not to worry about personal needs. She said character is as important as competence and capacity.
The former Minister use her personal experiences to buttress her point.
“When I held sway at Federal Ministry of Education as minister, IÂ lamented the condition of children hawking on the streets.
She said, “driving to work each day, I see kids on the streets. So that was a fuel to me to use my office to provide education.”
Ezekwesili added that it is important to tailor policies after the needs of people. She noted that misplacement of priorities is a major clog in the wheel of growth.
Explaining the role of research and evidence, she said growth must not be on the basis of mere trial and error.
She stressed that data must be gathered and evaluated before policies are implemented. She said “data is the new oil.
“In God we trust but every other person must bring his or her data. Data is king.”
She urged governor to eschew sycophancy.
According to her, sycophants are hiding deficiencies and urged him to insist on data from staff as that is now the most important aspect of growth.