By Nat Nwakamma
Mr Patrick Ifon, Member, Representing Eket, Esit-Eket, Ibeno, Onna Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives has blamed Nigeria’s developmental challenges on policy inconsistency.
Ifon disclosed this during an interaction with reporters on Sunday in Yenagoa.
He said policy summersaults was the bane of Nigeria’s underdevelopment adding that the country had remained underdeveloped despite its huge human and natural resources.
Ifon said policy inconsistency had been a major challenge depriving Nigeria from measuring up with countries like Brazil, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia in terms of technological and infrastructural development.
According to him, Nigeria would have been a major exporter of rice with a robust food security, supposing the agricultural Green Revolution Policy of Obasanjo’s military regime was sustained.
He said the failure of some past leaders to implement government policies had resulted to lawlessness leading to abandoned projects across the nation.
The representative condemned the habit of introducing new policies in every regime adding that the practice was counterproductive in the long run.
“Government is a continuum, both at State and Federal levels, long term policies of government must be pursued and implemented by every successive administration, to give room for continuity and development.
“Ajaokuta Steel Complex, like other economically viable projects, are lying comatose today because of our policy inconsistency, we hardly implement our long term programs and policies.
“Each President or Governor will come and start a new project without looking at the viability of the ones started by their predecessor, even in NDDC and other government agencies.
“It leads to abandoned projects littered everywhere in the country, we cannot grow as a nation with such level of inconsistencies,” he said.
The lawmaker said he was currently, working on the Bill sponsored by his predecessor, Mrs Owoidoho Ekpoattai for the establishment of a Federal College of Education in Akwa Ibom as a demonstration of his belief in continuity.
He said he was in consultation with the Akwa Ibom State Government to set up Oil Mineral Area Development Commission with a view to address the developmental needs of oil producing communities in the state.
Ifon said the establishment of similar commission in Ondo, Delta, Imo, Edo, Abia and other oil producing states had given the communities a sense of belonging.
He said it had also engendered a peaceful operational environment for development and economic growth
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