Abuja — Senate President David Mark has described the recent call by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Mrs. Farida Waziri that those seeking for political offices should undergo a psychiatric test as unfortunate.
Senator said this at yesterday's plenary session during the consideration of the confirmation of appointments in board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He said the statement shouldn't have from the EFCC chairman, "It is rather very unfortunate that she was quoted to have said that. I don't know the basis for that report because I still find it difficult to believe that it comes from them."
Senator Mohammed Kabir Jibril (PDP, Kaduna Central) said the lawmakers should take the issue of screening serious so as not to clear incompetent people for public offices.
He said, "It is sad to note that even EFCC is calling for psychiatric test for our public office holders."
The Senate President called on Nigerians to supply them with enough information on people nominated for public office holders. Senate's committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions has been mandated to screen Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim as the Executive Direct of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Dr. Kingsley C.
Moghalu as the Deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and five members of the apex bank's Monetary Policy Committee (PMC), while the senate committee on Niger Delta is to screen Mr. Joe Jakpa as a member of the NDDC.
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I have never been an admirer of Mrs Farida because of my belief that she is only a government stooge. But this call has endeared her to me because that is the best thing to do. It is a well known fact that most members of the armed forces do take one form of drug or another, cannabis for instance. My belief is that David Mark must have participated in this exercise and just like so many other "military politicians" in the present dispensation, fears that he could fail the psychaitric test. The truth is that most Nigerian politicians have one form of psychiatric trait or the other. Just to remind ourselves, below are some of the psychiatric traits: dellusion e.g grandiosity, illusion e.g making unrealistic promises, Pyromania - setting things on fire like we saw in Anambra State in November 2004, Kleptomania - stealing even when there is no need for that, remember Abacha's loot, Sexual deviation e.g taking small secondary school girls who are not even old enough to be their last kids to political conferences and holidays, just to mention but a few. Please, can David mark tell me which of the above traits Nigerian politicians do not have? Iyke Anaebuo is a native of Ihembosi in Anambra State resident in the UK.
Screening of any potential politician is a MUST. Lack of screening created the situation where convicts from Britain and the US to become state governors. With the situation in Nigeria, psychiatric testing of those seeking political offices will help the country.
What is this David Mark talking about? The EFCC Chairman is right because our political leaders behave like people who need psychiatric help. We can save the country the agony by preventing this kind of people from attaining the position of leadership in Nigeria. How great Nigeria will become if we can prevent the kleptomaniacs and crazy thieves from leadership positions in the country. If the current leaders are scanned, majority of them will fail psychiatric tests. Many are crazy! How else will you describe people who are in positions of responsibility but carry almost all the money that should be used to develop the nation. They throw some of it to other countries to develop those nations and substantial amounts are lost when they die.
On this one, she,s absolutely right. Who can argue against the fact that Nigeria has been turned upside down by mad people masquerading as politicians!! The senate president should see this as a rallying cry to henceforth see to it that anybody including the office of the President and commander in chief, President of the SENATE,etc, nominated and voted into positions of authority, go through psychiatric tests, simple. All facts on the ground point,s to the need for this measure to curb situations whereby a sick, mediocre is handed the lives of millions to toy with.