United States-based endowed Professor of ICT and founder of the ICT University, Victor Mbarika has insisted that public officials found guilty of embezzling public funds should face the full weight of the law, including publicly beng killed by hanging.
Prof Mbarika made the proposal while expressing fears that a 50billion FCFA state fund to finance businesses of young Cameroonians, could be diverted into the pockets of public officials.
The announced support to youth-led projects was unveiled by President Biya during his traditional December 31st State of the Nation Address.
Reaction on CRTV’s Press Hour
Reacting to the development Sunday while participating on Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV flagship programme, Press Hour, Prof Mbarika, saluted the initiative, before cautioning against the misuse of the funds.
Visibly vexed by the growing phenomenon of acts of corruption in the public sector, Prof Mbarika didn’t mince words.
The university don was blunt that should any penny of the financing go missing, those responsible should be publicly executed as a deterrent.
“The President made an interesting declaration. He announced an amazing thing-50 billion FCFA for young people to build businesses in order to address these challenges we are talking about. For me, that is very ambitious…now any person who tries to embezzle that money should be killed in the public square by hanging. These are the people destroying this country” Prof Mbarika.
Support for youth entrepreneurship
Arguing further, Prof Mbarika said:
“The Head of State has good intentions. 50 billion FCFA to be released for young people to invest is ambitious because so many people have been saying ‘young people, you should be involved in entrepreneurship’ which is good but now money will be released… We can’t just tell young people go and invest…they need money. Well, the President is now releasing money for this. 50 billion is good money”.
He continued:
“I am not saying this to be proud, we (ICT University) announced about a year ago that we were going to put in 5 billion FCFA at the disposal of young people to invest in digital agriculture. We have already spent about half a billion and we are continuing to do that as our own contribution to nation building…the young people will come in, each of them will have one hectare of land and then they will develop that into a business between them and what we do as an institution…”
Prof Mbarika then recounted that:
“Some years ago, the Head of State allowed universities to develop businesses and that is what we are doing…that is why 99% of our graduates when they leave university, they are not in the job market, they are not looking for jobs…most of them don’t work for anybody, they work for themselves…it is happening in this country”.
“So, when I look at the Head of State’s speech, I am excited that he has decided to release 50 billion for youth-led projects but how do we manage this 50 billion is going to be another thing because the next thing you will hear is that only 10billion was used and the rest will get into private pockets…I refuse this. At this point, they should just kill people responsible for such acts-that way, people will learn the hard way” he unequivocal stated.
Cameroon on right path…
Meanwhile in commenting on milestones covered by the country in previous, Prof Mbarika scored Cameroon high.
Prof Mbarika said:
“We have achieved so much as a country. We have a lot more to do but I think we are not at point zero”.
In name some of the achievements registered as nation, Prof Mbarika noted that Cameroon has one of the fastest processing periods for Passports in the world.
He said:
“Cameroon processes passports faster than America. I have seen people process their passports in less than two days in this country. You can’t get that in the United States…it is four to six weeks in the United States…the ID Cards…when the system started, people were talking about the hitches. They didn’t even give the system time. I am an IT expert. I make my money from African governments and some in Asia- helping them with ideas on IT solutions. No single IT system is perfect from the start”.
Prof Mbarika explained that:
“Every IT system will have hitches at the beginning but people were criticizing that there were problems at the beginning for the Passports, ID Cards, e-Visa and so on but now that things are working well, nobody is talking about it”.
“When I say this, a lot of my friends say maybe government has given me money, I don’t need this government’s money, I have made my life but the reality is that we have achieved great milestones. I am a believer of this country…greater things are to come. I really think this term of the President will make a huge difference” he concluded.
