Falana, Others Kick as Govs Plan Vocational Training in Germany

State governors are currently concluding arrangements on their plan to embark on a trip to Germany.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, dropped the hint on Wednesday night while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the forum’s meeting held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Yari, who is the Governor of Zamfara State, however, did not disclose when the governors would embark on the trip which he described as “vocational.”

The trip is coming at a time when at least 27 state governments can no longer pay workers’ salaries.

Yari said a telecommunications firm, Vodacom, also made a presentation to the meeting.

“We received some presentations from the German ambassador prior to our trip to Germany for the vocational programme. We also received presentation from Vodacom. The firm made presentation on the areas we are going to partner such as in the areas of health and agriculture,” he said.

Falana described the proposed trip as frivolous and appealed to the German government to deny the governors visa concerned.

Femi Falana

Falana, speaking with one of our correspondents on the telephone on Thursday, described the trip as “a decoy for a summer holiday” that would amount to further waste of the scarce resources at a time the nation was said to be broke.

Falana said, “There are here enough solutions to the problems of the nation which the governors are not attending to.

“You said the country is broke, governors are embarking on jamboree to Germany.

“We are going to appeal to the German authority not to give them visa so that they can stay at home and work.

“We will contact the German government not to be party to this wastage by the Nigerian government.

“The Federal Government has just adopted about 147-page report on agriculture. How many of them have read the report?

“I think it’s just a decoy for a summer holiday.”

Speaking in the same vein, Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, described the proposed trip for “vocational training” as laughable and irresponsible.

Also, the spokesman for Afenifere,  Yinka Odumakin, said that the plan of the governors was ridiculous.

He said, “If the report is true,  then the governors are out of tune with the reality of the moment. It will make sense if they are reported to be heading for Tinapa or Ogere for vocational training but to head to Germany when the economy is ‘technically in recession’ would only communicate that our governors do not appreciate where we are.”

It is most ridiculous and absurd to head to Germany at this time  for vocational training when their mates in other climes are heading for space. They should shelve the jamboree.”