Politicians are popularly seen as the biggest challenge and problem in Nigeria’s progress but Charles Omole has posited that such is a wrong perspective and that the biggest challenge before the country is the civil servants, not politicians.
Omole, who is an international legal scholar and consultant, maintained this position on Saturday during The Platform, a programme facilitated and hosted by the Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Poju Oyemade.
Omole noted that the civil servants play a huge role in bringing about change in the country and wield power even more than a Federal Minister.
“Many people in Nigeria feel the biggest problem we have is the politicians. What if I tell you that is not true? Do you know what the biggest problem we in Nigeria? The biggest challenge we have to change this country is in our civil service.
“Those who know how Civil Service works know that they can grind any system to a halt,” Omole said.
The Legal Scholar lamented that many Civil Servants are against innovation and modernization.
“Many of them oppose modernisation. They oppose innovation. They like things being done manually. I wonder why? How many of you know that constitutionally, no Federal Minister in this country can sign a contract to give you job? How many of you understand that? It is the Permanent Secretary that does that.
“So how can a Minister steal without the Civil Service? In fact many times, it is the Civil Servants that teach the novice Minster how to do it,” he said.
The 2021 edition of The Platform was held at Iganmu, Lagos on Saturday and it was themed ‘Is Devolution Of Powers The Solution To Nigeria’s Problem?’
