December 05, (THEWILL) – Presidential candidates of the three major opposition parties, on Sunday, unveiled their agenda on how to tackle the rising poverty and insecurity in Nigeria, as well as their position on Local government autonomy.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), had reported that over 133 million Nigerians, representing 63 percent of the nation’s population, live in poverty.
While addressing newsmen after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, who said 72 percent of Nigeria’s poor citizens reside in rural areas, abandoned by the governors, attributed the poverty rate in Nigeria to governors’ misplaced priority.
On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari also slammed the governors for the rising poverty level when he accused them of misappropriating funds meant for local governments.
But Speaking on Sunday, at the Arise News Presidential Town Hall Series III, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, blamed the rising poverty on unabated security challenges, which deprived millions of Nigerians of going to farms.
He assured that if elected president in the 2023 general elections, he will increase the number of Military personnel from 250,000 to 1 million, as well as other security agencies with a view to securing every square metre in the country.
He also assured Nigerians of his resolve to tackle the menace of lack of electricity, improve education down to primary education, as well as constructing roads and housing, just as he noted that the Party’s policy “is not going to borrow money.”
On the local Government funding, Kwakwanso said there is a need to look at the Constitution with a view to making provisions for Local Government authorities to get allocation directly from the Federal Government’s coffers.
While stressing that state governments stifling Local Government is unacceptable, he observed that it is not to only ensure that they get the allocations directly, but ensuring that Local Government and States are advised to work together that every single naira given are being utilised effectively, by agreeing on certain infrastructural projects to be executed.
He vowed to tackle the issue of corruption, drug abuse, and ensure access to good health.
On his part, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, maintained that the Federal Government should be held responsible for major fiscal policies responsible for the poverty level.
Obi underscored the need to restore investors’ confidence in the adequate inflow of resources required to develop the country’s economy, including education, and primary healthcare.
On the stifling of Local Governments’ allocation by State governments, Obi noted that for any meaningful development, the Federal Government must work seamlessly with subnational governments.
While expressing concern over the country’s inability to achieve the SDGs set objectives, he assured that the Federal and State Governments will synergise through the National Economic Council to drive development, saying: “I’ll be at the centre to work with all the States.”
He also underscored the need to direct fiscal allocation towards agriculture and resuscitate the Bank of Industry (BoI), with a view to supporting farmers by ensuring access to funding, as well as other agencies dealing with crops, among others.
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, noted that his party has taken note of all the statistics on poverty both internationally and locally.
The former vice president stressed the need to ensure adequate provision of funds to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which he described as the second employer of labour in the country, to enable SMEs to provide substantial amounts of money for young men and women to access loan to set up businesses.
Atiku, who argued that the PDP administration introduced the Social Investment Programme (SIP), alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, which allegedly copied the scheme, has not been able to effectively implement the programmes.
While assuring that his administration will sustain the Social Investment Programmes if voted into power, he expressed optimism that effective implementation of these programmes will drastically reduce the poverty level.
On Local Government autonomy, Atiku recalled how he superintended over the Local Government’s allocation during his tenure as Vice President in 1999.
He said he directed the Accountant General of the Federation to pay the monthly allocation directly to the Local Government accounts.
Atiku, however, noted that after nine months of direct payment into Local Government accounts, the state governors were against the move arguing that the decision was contrary to the Constitutional provisions, and hence, started paying into the joint account.
While noting that various deductions being made by the State Governments were responsible for the depletion of Local Government funds, he underscored the need for amendments to the 1999 Constitution to make them independent and protect their interest. He assured that his administration will reverse the joint account.
“When I assumed office in 1999, what was handed over to me was the local government administration. When it was handed over to me, I gave instructions to the accountant general that all local government allocations should be transferred to the local governments straight. After implementing that policy for nine months, the governors protested that that was not constitutional,” he said
“So we looked at the constitution, and they said there was supposed to be a joint account at the state level where local government funds should be transferred and also the state government was supposed to put a certain percentage of their revenue into that account, and it (the local government funds) was then moved to that joint account.
“Then, the local governments started getting their funding through the state joint accounts and that is where we have problems. In that process, some state governments started taking part in the local government finances. Some said they were going to run universities with the state governments, some said local governments should contribute to certain projects in the state. At the end of the day, the funds were being depleted and the local governments were left with no funding, and in fact, it has gone to virtually nothing now.
“We must look at the laws and see how we can make these local governments independent and protect them when funds are sent from the federal government. I think there’s a major flaw in our laws regarding that”, he said.
On rising medical tourism, he advised that private-sector partnerships will help increase the number of quality hospitals in the country.
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