June 13, (THEWILL) – Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has lamented the current state of poverty and hunger in Nigeria, saying that the country must prioritise economic development.
Speaking on Wednesday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Makinde called on the Federal Government to take swift and decisive action to address the challenges, rather than distracting issues of the National Anthem and local government autonomy.
“Our country is in a state of crisis, and we must act now. Our people are hungry, increasing poverty, our infrastructure is crumbling, and our economy is in shambles. We should be focused on finding solutions to these problems, not wasting time and money on superficial changes like a new anthem.
“We are at a point in Oyo State and our nation where we must prioritise economic development in Oyo and our nation. As a country, we have to prioritise production, we have to be productive. There cannot be production without mobilisation.
“Our strongest resource is our people. The training and education of our people is the best empowerment we can give them. We have to keep on educating our people. Let them use their God-given talents to support what we are doing in Oyo State. We cannot afford to waste any more time.
“Our people deserve better. They deserve a government that is focused on their needs, not on distractions and empty gestures. Let us put our resources and our energy where they are most needed, and let us work together to build a better, brighter future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Meanwhile, amid the current challenges in the nation, Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, has proposed that elected officials be paid the minimum wage earned by Nigerian workers.
Speaking on Wednesday at a special edition of The Platform, an event organised by The Covenant Nation to promote national development, Soludo said Nigeria’s economic woes are exacerbated by the extravagant lifestyles of government officials, which are sustained at the expense of the nation’s wealth.
“Let’s come clean and straight with Nigerians. Nigeria is very poor and broke but the lifestyle of government and government officials does not show it, especially with the obscene flamboyance in public display. The poor are hungry and impatient, let’s not annoy them more with our insensitivity.
“In this case, I agree with Reverend Father Mbaka who said elected governors should also earn minimum wage. I agree that we should be paid that so that we can feel that as well.
“In Anambra, I have not received a kobo as salary since I assumed office. I have donated my salary to the state. It is symbolic. It is not much. I think generally, the system is in denial. There must be some signalling, it is just the symbolism of this. That is why I proposed reinventing the new code of conduct for public officers.
“For the Federal Government, the actual projected revenue comes to about N6,160 per Nigerian, per month. For the states, except Lagos and a few states, most states have revenues amounting to less than N3,000 per resident, per month.
“It is from these shares per citizen that we are expected to provide all the infrastructure, debt service, pay salaries and pensions, build schools and provide everything.
“For each of our wasteful spending, let’s be conscious about how many citizens’ share we are squandering. Once we lose this consciousness about the public trust we bear, the society dies irredeemably,” he said.
