Scrapping Govt. Agencies Will Increase Unemployment – Owie

Senator Rowland Owie
Senator Rowland Owie

The reportedly proposed scrap of government agencies could deepen unemployment in the country, former Senate Chief whip, Senator Rowland Owie has noted. He therefore appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan not to follow the Stephen Oronsaye-led committee’s recommendation.

Owie, who commended the president for the effort to resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel Company however warned Jonathan to be wary of those who may be working for the opposition inside his government, positing that it would be evil and anti-people if people around the president are suggesting policies that would further impoverish the masses of the country, which he noted will be an advantage for the opposition.

“I wish to appeal to our son and brother, President Goodluck Jonathan, not to listen to those agents of doom that are pushing for the scrapping of over 200 government organizations by his government. The argument of these agents of IMF and World Bank is that you must scrap these organizations to free resources from recurrent expenditure in favour of capital expenditure. What an evil argument?

“A Bini parable says `It is the balance of feeding money that is used to build a house’. The first priority of good government all over is the welfare of the individual human being, created in the image and likeness of God. The development of infrastructure comes after food has been put on the table of Nigerians. As at today, hundreds of Nigerians that were staff of NITEL, Nigeria Airways, Aladja Steel, Itakpe, Aluminium Smelting, Oko Ibokun and Iwopin Paper Mills, Bacita Sugar Industry, Ajaokuta Steel, etc to mention a few, have been dying daily because of the bad policies of former President Obasanjo.

“Your government of compassion can’t afford to take Nigerians through the same road. The same agents of foreign institutions that gave SAP poison to a benevolent government of IBB are around. Pushing also for a total deregulation of the petroleum industry, Mr President must resist them. Don’t be lured to scrap the blue print of the yet to be born APC.

“Supporting budget deficit and these fifth columnists around you are asking for scrapping of organs with over 300,000 Nigerian workers. I wish to congratulate you for reclaiming Ajaokuta Steel Company for Nigeria and see what you can do to revive the place”.