A former Vice Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Prof Oyewale Tomori, has urged the Federal Government to put in the necessary work for its reforms to produce quick positive results that will assuage the suffering and hardship of ordinary Nigerians.
The eminent virologist was a guest on the Friday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.
According to him, Nigerians have been patient enough in the last 22 months since the administration of President Bola Tinubu introduced its twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of the foreign exchange.
Tomori said, “We must not think of the immediate but long term. Where are we going? Where are all these economic policies leading us? Is it going to be better than what we have? If it is, then we need to be patient.
“There are measles spots of the good things they are doing. We must let those things continue and improve on them rather than say this government is not this, this government is not that.
“It is easy to destroy but it takes a long time to rebuild. It is easy to tell Nigerians: ‘Be patient, be patient’. We’ve been patient all along. I hope the government people are also listening that there is a time limit to patience.
“People must begin to see the effect of what you are doing and making a change in their lives, positive changes. When that happens, this government or any government will get the support of the people.
“But when you tell me to be patient when I have black hair and by the time I have grey hairs you are still telling me to be patient, then I will have to say what else am I waiting for?
“There is the need for patience but also there is the need to accelerate certain things so that people can live well.”
The professor urged the government to address the issues of security and electricity and make the environment conducive for people to live and practice what they know.
Tomori challenged state governments to rise to the occasion and be beneficial to the people.
“We should see more from state governments, they should bring the facilities next to the people. They come into Abuja to collect money but nobody monitors what they do with the money,” he said.
“As we are putting pressure on the Federal Government, we should put pressure on the state governments, and get them to do the work.
“I’ve been to different states and nothing has changed. We have flyovers and fly-unders but how is that affecting the people? Look at the problems of the people, put your money there, and solve those problems. That is the relevance we are talking about. State governments are not relevant to their people,” he added.
