The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan
Akiolu, on Friday called on the Federal Government to stop robbing ‘Peter to
pay Paul’ and genuinely develop communities in the oil-producing states to
improve the lives of the people.
Akiolu made the call in
Lagos when members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of
Nigeria (PENGASSAN) paid him a courtesy visit.
According to the monarch,
the oil-producing states should be better developed because that is where a
large chunk of the nation’s revenue is generated.
“We cannot continue to rob
Peter to pay Paul. The government should take care of the areas where the oil
is coming from.
“They should add value to
the environment and the people in the area,” he said.
The royal father blamed the
accumulation of wealth by some Nigerians on greed, saying the government should
focus on welfare programmes that would improve the lives of Nigerians,
especially the workers.
He said that government
should focus on developmental programmes such as hospitals, transportation, road
infrastructure, power and other welfare programmes.
Akiolu said that the
salaries being earned by workers were not enough.
“No matter how much the
workers receive, the salaries will be eroded by inflation as traders will also
increase the prices of their goods,’’ he said.
Mr Johnson Francis,
PENGASSAN President, commended the traditional ruler for sending
representatives with the staff of office to the Association’s 40th anniversary
celebration in Abuja.
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