ICSAN president condemns calls for sale of national assets

President/Chairman of Council of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Dr. Nat Ofo, has condemned the planned sale of national assets, saying the reasons adduced for the sale are not genuine.

Fielding questions from newsmen in Lagos ahead of the 50th anniversary celebration, Dr. Ofo said doing something in the wrong way has led to the economic recession being witnessed in the country now.

“On the sale of national assets, certainly, the reasons adduced for the sale are not the right reasons. I don’t support it. The assets are national monuments. You don’t sell national monuments to individuals.

“You don’t even demolish assets, but you keep on renovating. We are in recession; you are to rejig the economy not selling national assets. Selling national assets will not solve our problems as envisaged. Government should intensify efforts in retrieving stolen funds to shore up economic challenges,” he said.

On corruption, Dr. Ofo said ‘this is the number one problem bedeviling the country’, adding that until this is addressed seriously and offenders punished, Nigeria will not move forward.

“Nigeria is in recession now because of corruption. The real problem is corruption. Some people just pile up money not to improve on Nigeria’s economy but to boost the economies of other countries or lands. Government should fight corruption to a standstill.

“If judiciary is the problem, you deal with it. When leadership sets the right tone for or direction, everybody will comply. Only punishment can prevent people from doing wrong things”, he said.

He pointed out that the Federal Government has not done anything to address the bad economic situation being witnessed in the country, stating that the change mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari administration should be made to be felt by the people.