Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon has dispelled the postulation that poverty was responsible for the spate of bomb attacks by Boko Haram sect in the North. He rather identified injustice in the country as being behind the activities of sect.
Gowon stated this in Abuja during seminar organized by Public Complaint Commission (FCT)
He said,“ the security challenges faced by our dear country today may not or would not have been, if early attention have been given to some of the general and administrative injustice that may have seem to have been allowed to thrive in Nigeria’s lot of times poverty is blamed as the cause of the present insecurity imbroglio in the Northern part of the country today.
“ I would disagree and will not blame the poor or use poverty as an excuse to do the harm and increase the improverization of the people of the North and as a whole.
“ I stand to affirm that uncontrolled general injustice would naturally degenerate or lead to serious financial and other related crimes and ultimately the evil of corruption. Unfortunately corruption in Nigeria today has become monster and national embarrassment. All hands must be on deck to arrest and eliminate this monster, individually and collectively.”
In defense of the establishment of the PCC, he stressed that the Commission was established to address many pre and post administrative problems and injustice pervading every segment of Nigeria.
He said,“ the government appointed a Nigerians of proven integrity to undertake this assignment , and the lot fell on the late Mr. Jerome Udoji, a versatile civil servant of impeccable character and record to do this.
This initiative resulted in the Udojis civil service Reform of 1975 and the Udoji Award as well as the establishment of the “ombudsman scheme and programee in Nigeria to which my government appointed a versatile political administrator in the person of Alhaji Maitama Sule.”
Speaking earlier in a welcome address, the Commissioner of PCC, Mr.
Obunike Ohaegbu revealed that since he assumed office about 800 cases are so far before the Commission for investigation.