Acting President Yemi Osinbajo while addressing the African parliamentarians at the 16th Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference on Tuesday in Abuja said the executive and legislature must not waste its relationship on conflicts.
He said the cooperation between the two arms of government has helped lives and livelihoods of millions, adding that poverty, hunger and disease could become history in Africa through legislative and executive options.
According to him, it would be foolish for leaders to think that their positions were for self-aggrandisement or the pursuit of selfish interests.
Osinbajo said: “It is therefore my submission that the burden that the privilege of leadership places upon us is such that our tenured positions in the executive and legislature must not be wasted on conflicts and division. The problems are too grave, the lives and livelihoods of millions depend on our cooperation, we cannot afford to fail,”.
“This is a dangerous time in the history of the world with the challenges of climate change, food security, overpopulation, and inequality but more importantly, the anger of the ignored and the marginalised majority.”
“In Africa and the developing world, the angst and cynicism of the populace is worse; conflicts, corruption, weak institutions have ensured that the largest numbers of the poor and the deprived come from our continent and there is unanimity of opinion that it is the failure of leadership.
“So, while we speak of our legislative halls as hallowed chambers, our courts as temples of justice, and the executive villas as corridors of power, all suggestive of grand but isolated institutions, the reality for the majority of our peoples is the misery of the slums and the indignities of powerlessness.”
“Again, because we chose to work together, the National Assembly at the request of the Executive appropriated N500bn, about $3bn for the largest social investments programme in sub-Saharan Africa,”.
No comments:
Post a Comment