State governors across the country have been urged to endeavour to continue with the projects started by their predecessors rather than abandoning them.
The admonition came from a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, in a strongly-worded statement signed and made available to TribuneOnline on Tuesday in Warri.
Onuesoke said it was unacceptable for any new government to discontinue or abandon projects, policies and programmes of an outgoing administration after billions of naira had been sunk on them.
The PDP Chieftain described abandoned projects by new administrations as a hydra-headed monster that has been bleeding Nigeria’s treasury since independence, thus preventing the masses from enjoying maximum benefits from their taxes and the established infrastructure.
“This needs to be critically looked into. Whenever a new government or administration comes into power, virtually all ongoing projects and programmes, no matter how laudable and people-oriented they are, often stopped and abandoned,” he stated.
He argued that abandoned projects still remained a conduit pipe through which Nigerian resources are being wasted without adding value to the people, adding that the poor masses were made to suffer the consequences of such abandoned projects or policies.
Onuesoke, who pointed out that the country cannot move further with wasteful abandonment of projects and programmes merely on the basis of prejudice, selfish desire, inferiority complex and extravagance, advised that there was a need for laudable government projects, programmes and policies to be backed and protected by the National or State Assemblies laws.
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“These are the only ways a new administration would not be able to abandon them as they are backed by law,” he disclosed.
While agreeing that some of the outgoing governors initiated what could be called white elephant projects, he said the new administration should not abandon such projects, but complete them and have them to their credit.
“Government is a continuum. You take over from where your predecessor stopped. Do you expect that the government should stop functioning just because the man on the seat is about to leave?” he queried.
He maintained that part of the problems of Nigeria was lack of continuity, saying “It is because we don’t believe in continuity that is why we have so many abandoned projects, even the ones that would have transformed our economy.
“It is not only in the states, even at the federal level, but the new man should also take over and continue the projects and policies of his predecessor especially where they are for the public good.”