Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said the nation’s per capita income is low because only 10 per cent of the over 200 million Nigerians are productive. This just as his Ekiti and Kwara State former counterparts, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Abdulfatah Ahmed, had argued that every promises made by politicians during political was with good intention.
The trio spoke at oneday dialogue in Abuja yesterday, on the theme: ‘2023 & Beyond: Tracking Campaign Promises for Good Governance’, which was organised by NPO Reports. Aregbesola, who said he spoke not as former Osun State governor but as a Nigerian, advised Nigerians to learn how federal system of government works in other countries that practice the system. According to him, there is only two tiers of government in a federal system “and not three tier. “Why local government councils are not working in Nigeria is because they are not self sustaining. “The county and city council are self sustaining. Local government in Nigeria lives on handout and therefore not responsive. There is no dignity in charity.” The minister added that until half of the Nigeria’s 200 million population becomes productive and is working, the country will remain undeveloped.
“There must be revenue generated by people not allocation,” he stated. Fayemi who is Chairman of the occasion, maintained that there is genuineness in the promises made by politicians during campaigns but said they might have failed to fulfil them when confronted with other issues when they come to office. The former Ekiti State governor said campaign promises could be tracked through the budget. “The best way is to track party’s manifesto and not promises made during campaign,” he further advised, noting that the three core promises made by President Mohammed Buhari were economy, security and anticorruption. Former Kwara State governor Ahmed, said advised Nigerians to gauge “the capacity, capability and mental alertness,” of the politician making the promises while voting in an election.
