Arapaja’s explanation that he has kept the Computers meant for teaching the youth in his constituency for over two years because he is waiting for government to provide an internet facility deserves serious scrutiny.
The question is simple: how long should beneficiaries wait for what was already entrusted to their community? Two years is not a reasonable period to keep educational materials under lock and key while waiting for something as inexpensive and readily available as an Internet Facility.
If the programme and the Computer workshop genuinely are meant for the youth, Arapaja’s responsibility should have been to ensure that the opportunity reached the intended beneficiaries promptly. An Internet Facility can be purchased at minimal cost. If Mr Taofeek believed that was an essential condition for the take off of the workshop. He could have provided the facility himself and proceeded with the assignment. Alternatively, he could have contacted the government repeatedly to request them.
Yet, by his own explanation, there appears to have been no sustained effort to remind government about the InternetFacility for over two years. . Government delivered the workshop; Arapaja received them. After that, what became of the responsibility to ensure that the prospective beneficiaries got the dividend ?
Keeping Computers for more than two years does not preserve their value; it potentially diminishes it. Computers kept in storage can deteriorate through dust, moisture, insects, age and poor handling. More importantly, every day they remain unused represents a day in which a young person is denied access to a resource intended for his or her development.
This is not merely about Internet Facility. It is about stewardship and accountability. Public or community resources entrusted to an individual are not personal possessions to be held indefinitely at the convenience of the custodian.
Arapaja should therefore look beyond technical explanations , threat of legal action and plans of attack on whistle blower. a
He should rather confront the central issue. The beneficiaries have waited long enough. The Workshop should be made functional, and put to the purpose for which they were provided.
- Gafari Hammed writes from Laako compound, Ward 2. Ibadan South East Local Government.
