L
LequteMan
Guest
Ex military governor of Kwara State, Chief Salaudeen Adebola Latinwo, in an interview published by Tribune explained why most top government officials are corrupt.
"I think it is what I will call the loose system within the economy of our country. People are just interested in making money at the expense of the overall essence of service and governance. It got to a head because of the way we did things and ran the country in the last 20 years. Nobody was in charge; nobody was cautioning those who suddenly found themselves in the position of power and authority. Nobody was saying what they were doing was wrong and so they got wrapped up in the incorrigible behaviours. That is the price you pay when there is a vacuum of good leadership.
"For example, if as a leader, the NSA comes to me and says he is going to buy an aircraft, I will tell him, “That is not your responsibility. You are just to advise me on this or that; you are not in the Procurement Office. You have the Ministry of Defence. You have the Service Chiefs there to do these things. So, why you?” The whole thing doesn’t make sense to me and I can’t imagine it happened. I find it very difficult.
"The procurement of major equipment in the Army, Navy and the Air Force is entirely the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence. Supplementary equipment like spare parts or whatever it is could be that of the services, but even then they still have to tell the Ministry of Defence because the vote of that ministry is directed by the Minister of Defence, not even the Service Chiefs. That is the way things work. I don’t see how the NSA will come in.
"I think it is what I will call the loose system within the economy of our country. People are just interested in making money at the expense of the overall essence of service and governance. It got to a head because of the way we did things and ran the country in the last 20 years. Nobody was in charge; nobody was cautioning those who suddenly found themselves in the position of power and authority. Nobody was saying what they were doing was wrong and so they got wrapped up in the incorrigible behaviours. That is the price you pay when there is a vacuum of good leadership.
"For example, if as a leader, the NSA comes to me and says he is going to buy an aircraft, I will tell him, “That is not your responsibility. You are just to advise me on this or that; you are not in the Procurement Office. You have the Ministry of Defence. You have the Service Chiefs there to do these things. So, why you?” The whole thing doesn’t make sense to me and I can’t imagine it happened. I find it very difficult.
"The procurement of major equipment in the Army, Navy and the Air Force is entirely the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence. Supplementary equipment like spare parts or whatever it is could be that of the services, but even then they still have to tell the Ministry of Defence because the vote of that ministry is directed by the Minister of Defence, not even the Service Chiefs. That is the way things work. I don’t see how the NSA will come in.
