Sleep making Ugandans poor - Museveni
President Museveni receives NRM supporters during the thanksgiving ceremony for Dokolo North MP Paul Amoru at Ajoga Village, Adwoki Sub-county, in Dokolo District at the weekend. PHOTO BY PPU
Dokolo- President Museveni has said Ugandans, and Africans more generally, are poor because they spend too much time sleeping.
“Africa is so rich because we have got water, land, minerals, good weather. So, how does this (poverty) come about? It is because of nino (Langi for sleeping),” Mr Museveni said.
In Africa, he noted, there is also a lot of “oversleeping”.
“People, as the prayer book of the Church of Uganda says, ‘leave undone as they ought to do and they do things that they are not meant to do’. That is why you get (poverty) in the place which has got a lot of lonyo (Langi for wealth),” he added.
In a speech in Dokolo District at the weekend, Mr Museveni blamed Africa’s under-development on Africans.
He was in the area to attend Dokolo North Member of Parliament Paul Amoru’s belated thanksgiving ceremony at Adwoki Technical Institute.
Mr Amoru said the event was to honour his political and personal progress, including winning a protracted court battle against his 2016 election.
West Lango Bishop Alfred Okodi, the lawmaker’s spiritual mentor, said: “Today, you have fulfilled God’s debt by giving thanks to God in the presence of His Excellency, the President... and the people of God who are here.”
“Returning thanks is a good thing. Many people take away things that are given to them… and they wish they were given more without appreciating God,” Bishop Okodi added.
The district chairperson, Mr Frederick Odongo, commended the President for supporting the district and asked him to persuade the central government to provide resources for construction of a district hospital.
“It is also our appeal to you, your Excellency, in line with the (ruling) NRM (party) manifesto and the National Health Policy in place, to consider establishing health centre III in the seven sub-counties in Dokolo that currently do not have (health centre III),” he said.
Mr Odongo told the President of rising crime in Lango sub-region, which he blamed on police.
In response, Mr Museveni said: “I’m surprised to hear there is some insecurity. I’m going to sort it out. I will call a meeting of the security group and resident district commissioners and they will tell me who is causing this insecurity. We shall defeat this. It cannot be bigger than what we solved.”
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