Thinking back at his tenure as Education Minister in the 1970s, Ihechukwu Madubuike

In an interview with The Punch, Prof. Ihechukwu Madubuike, the former Minister of Education and Health, discussed his views on a number of national concerns, such as insecurity and the exodus of talented people from the health and education sectors. CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>

Ihechukwu Madubuike stated that they have complied with the constitutional requirement of appointing ministers from every state in the nation, refusing to give in to needless extra appointments in favor of one group over another, when he was informed that there are concerns regarding the need to ensure a reduction in the cost of governance in the nation.

He said during their time in the 1970s while he was still a Minister, they used vehicles that were assembled in Nigeria, and limited the number to two or three vehicles. He said a minister never used more than one orderly that time, and their personal assistants came from within their Ministries.

He said, “There was no unnecessary use of sirens and motorcades. I did not preside over the ministerial Tenders Board, the Minister of State did. My salary was known to all; it was N15,000 per annum and tax was deducted on the basis of pay as you earn.”

Further talking, he said, “If you wanted a flashy car, you have to pay with your personal fund. Most of our refineries worked and the value of the naira was fairly stable.” CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>