Nigeria a victim of bad actors eating up our commonwealth – Gbajabiamila

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday described Nigeria as a victim of bad actors who are bent on milking her dry.

Gbajabiamila stated this at a summit on the legislative transparency and accountability organised by the House Committee on Anti-Corruption.

The speaker, who was represented at the summit by the Deputy Majority leader of the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason, said such bad actors have drawn the country backward developmental-wise.

He lamented that oil and gas, the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, was fast diminishing in global demand due to technological advancement.

Gbajabiamila said: “Our country is the victim of bad actors determined to achieve great personal wealth at our collective expense.

“At a time of severe financial constraints, the perpetrators of this brazen heist threaten our ability to meet the demands of governance and nation-building.

READ ALSO: Gbajabiamila seeks to accommodate ASUU’s peculiarities on IPPIS platform

“Their actions effectively amount to treason against our country, for which they must be held accountable.

“For over six decades, the oil and gas industry has played a critical role in the economy of Nigeria.

“The industry has provided thousands, perhaps even millions of jobs directly and indirectly. Income from oil and gas has funded the administration of government, national defence, and the development of public infrastructure to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars over the years.

“For better or worse, we are living in a world made possible by income from oil and gas and the fossil fuel industry. Now, that world is changing. On the one hand, the world is marching towards a future where the economic value of oil and gas is far diminished from what it used to be.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now