We can learn one or two lessons here and rather than laugh it off I would have wished we learn from it.
The first lesson is the level of hunger, povverty and deprivation in the land. A desperate mother has only provided what she has. She has good motive , even if the end result is dangerous. She cannot afford formula like Cerelac, S 26, but maybe as a Fulani mother, she has a lot of cattle with rich milk. Definitely if she has the means she would not take the risk of exposing her son to such dangers as disease or even, the kid being injured by the cow.
Secondly and more importantly, not quite lon, Chief Ekwerenmadu, Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee described the Nigerian Federalism as "Feeding Bottle Federalism"in which all the 36 States of the country have become over-indulged adults permanently on exclusive feeding bottle. He added that the Federal Government has become "big daddy" that confiscates all that belong to his children and doles out to all, the hard-working and the indolent.
Applying that story to the kid feeding directly, maybe the lesson of whoever posted the picture is that the present system, which Prof. Adesanmi has described as "Almajer Federalism" and which Oba Sikiru Adetona in his autobiography has described as "subverted system" should be dealt away with and all States should be made to internally source for fund required fro the basic-service delivery for its people. This is what should be done in the spirit of true federalism or fiscal autonomy.
We should learn to bake the cakes rather than meeting monthly for sharing the national cake. This would be done by simply adopting devolution of power in which all states are no more than fiscal vassals of the Federal Government.
Excerpts from #Joseph Fagbola
No comments :
Post a Comment