The former deputy governor of State (1992-1993), Mrs. Sinatu Ojikutu, yesterday, yesterday applauded the American government’s visa restriction on Nigeria saying it would make Nigerians stay at home to develop and invest in the country instead of junketing around the world, searching for greener pastures.
Ojikutu stated this in Lagos at an interactive forum on ‘How to sensitize citizens on anti-corruption social norms and mobilise to support in fight against corruption in Nigeria’ organised by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in collaboration with UKAid.
She urged Nigerians to support the anti-graft war as well as stay at home, and use their intellect to develop and invest in the country.
“Nigeria is a great country; we have no other place to go to. I have lived in England, lived in America. Those are the greatest nations but I was a stranger there. When I come to Nigeria, I’m a queen; I’m a princess. So, we should build our country such that people will love to stay here and not exit.
“If we don’t build our country, we are in trouble and it’s getting to that. And I’m very happy with this President Trump on one issue; this issue of stay back home and make your home homely. Why are you coming to where we have made homely?
“And then, you not only come to
where we have made homely, you also come to spoil it for us. The kind of things
we buy in their shops, they always wonder where we get that kind of money from.
Now, Trump is telling you, whatever you have stolen use it in your country,”
she said.
She commended President Muhammadu
Buhari’s anti-corruption war saying the fight had blocked all the channels
through which people used to steal public funds.
“In those days, there were ways in which you could get by and take care of yourself because of the loopholes in the system. Then here comes this great man, President Buhari; and he started blocking all the loopholes where all of us were able to wriggle – if you don’t get it on the right, you get it on the left. Now, there is nowhere to get it except you do the right thing. And that is why everybody is now trying to say let us fight corruption,” she said.
To end corruption in Nigeria, Ojikutu said the fight should start from the homes where parents negatively influence their children who then grow to hold public offices.
“We must start from the source; from the mother and the father, who need to make ends meet and are doing things that are not right in the presence of their children. These are the children who become policemen, judge, governors, legislators because right from home, they were shown that nothing is wrong in stealing,” she added.
