The All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan and other members of his government to borrow a leaf from the recent resignation of South Korean Prime Minister, Chung Hongwon, over his government’s poor handling of the April 16 passenger ferry disaster that left over 300 dead or missing.
The opposition party advised that Nigerian leaders should conduct themselves in higher standards as a way of ensuring good governance and winning global respect for the country.
In a statement issued in Lagos over the weekend by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said the resignation of the South Korean prime minister must jolt the conscience of Nigerian officials, who had been found wanting when they have found themselves in similar situations.
According to the APC spokesperson, “Until our leaders hold themselves to higher standards, as it is done in other democracies around the world, and take responsibility when necessary, they will continue to perpetuate impunity, celebrate mediocrity and cling to power at all costs, even when it is clear that they are not serving any other interest but theirs”.
The APC said the resignation of the South Korean prime minister was the outcome of widespread public criticisms of the government over the shoddy handling of the ferry disaster, especially the slow pace of recovery of the bodies of victims and the conflicting information given by the government over the tragedy.
“The prime minister also stepped down, even though he had paid a visit to the families of the victims, just like the President of South Korea.
“Compare this with the situation in our country, where about 20 job seekers died in a stampede that was directly caused by poor planning and execution by a government agency on March 15, 2014, and for which the supervising minister blamed the victims, instead of accepting responsibility.
“Compare this with the aftermath of the killing of 75 citizens and wounding of over 200 in a bombing at a bus station in Nyanya, after which the President quickly embarked on an illegal campaign rally in Kano during which he was dancing ‘Skelewu’ on the graves of the victims, or his trip to Ibadan for a birthday party.
“Compare this with business-as-usual posture of the Federal Government and the playing up of the controversy surrounding Tuesday’s political rally by the PDP in Adamawa State, even as over 200 school girls have continued to languish in the den of the insurgents in the Sambisa Forest”, the APC noted.