Former Nigerian ambassador to the Philippines and veteran broadcaster, Dr. Yemi Farounbi, has condemned the recurring culture of abandoning or sabotaging government projects and policies simply because they were initiated by political rivals, describing the practice as “treachery wrapped in a party flag.”
In a statement on Saturday titled “The Politics of Destruction Must End”, Farounbi lamented that politicians often boast about opposing presidents or policies not for the nation’s benefit but purely to score partisan points.
He noted that some political actors had openly admitted that their hostility to the Goodluck Jonathan administration was never about national interest but about ensuring the other side failed.
“Every time leaders kill a good idea to deny their rivals a win, they’re not playing chess – they’re playing Russian roulette with the lives of 200 million people,” Farounbi said.
“And unlike the game, the bullet always finds its target – in our crumbling hospitals, our darkened streets, and the wasted years of our unemployed youth.”
Citing abandoned projects such as the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, stalled power sector reforms, and delayed security initiatives, Farounbi said both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been guilty of the same pattern of destructive rivalry.
He stressed that the real victims of such political gamesmanship were ordinary Nigerians, who suffered from pothole-ridden roads, persistent blackouts, and lost opportunities, while politicians enjoyed their allowances and mocked the gullibility of the masses.
“A road does not know if it was commissioned by APC or PDP before it carries traders to market. A working refinery doesn’t care which party cut the ribbon before it fuels the nation,” he added. “Good policies should be above petty rivalries.”
Farounbi called for leaders who would support policies that benefit Nigerians regardless of which party proposed them, warning that history would not remember saboteurs as clever strategists but as “reckless men and women who traded a nation’s progress for the thrill of a political point.”
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
