A
national leader of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, and a former
Governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu, on Thursday advised President Muhammadu
Buhari to use the remaining part of his tenure to build a better country and
help “suffering” Nigerians.
Mr. Tinubu took advantage of his position as a
keynote speaker at the presentation of a book “Making steady, Sustainable
Progress for Nigeria’s Peace and Prosperity: A Mid-term Scorecard on the
Muhammadu Buhari Administration”, which held at the State House conference
centre, Abuja, to tell Mr. Buhari that although he has done well in his first
two years, he still has a lot more to do.
Mr. Tinubu said Nigeria relies on crude oil
which is expendable.
Mr. Tinubu advised the government to train its
policies to ensure that when oil is finally no more, the country will not
suffer.
The APC leader warned that his decision to
offer the advice publicly should not be mistaken as evidence of “space” that
exists between him and the president.
He said such representation will be “ false”
and the news about it “will be fake”.
“What I proffer today is done in the spirit of
utmost respect and affinity by one who wants the best for this government and
for Nigeria. I say these things to encourage the government to achieve the greatness
the times demand and of which this government is capable,” he said.
Mr. Tinubu said for Mr. Buhari to succeed, he
must face and work on the economy.
He said the 2018 budget estimates submitted by
the president last week has the potential to move the nation in the right
direction.
He said
the most important aspect of the budget is the capital expenditure badly needed
for infrastructure.
“This investment means that the government
fully recognises our economy must grow but that it cannot expand beyond the
parameters of the infrastructural grid that serves it,” he said.
He also said “It is time to lead our people to
a place where poverty and hunger become infrequent and where prosperity and
hope are the daily fare of the common man”.
Mr. Tinubu said as one of the most populous
nations of the world, Nigeria cannot attain prosperity without first
establishing a robust industrial capacity.
He also said developed countries such as
England, Japan and China implemented key policies “to protect industries, promote
employment and encourage exports. These nations represent the past, present and
immediate future of national economic achievement”.
He said if Nigeria is to be a leader in the
next phase of global economic history, it must learn from the successes of these
countries.
Mr. Tinubu also said henceforth, Nigeria’s
national industrial revolution “must be more than mere words”.
He said the government must invest in research
and work closely with the private sector.
“Government policy must push and incentivize
the private sector into the production of goods that will be demanded in the
immediate future and for some time to come,” he said.
Mr. Tinubu said whatever the nation chose to
produce, such products must be “things that the rest of the world wants to buy and
not necessarily the things that we think are easier to do”.
He said
Nigeria needs a national infrastructural plan that accommodates both industrial
and agricultural activity. He said the “fulcrum of this plan must be continued
progress in the achievement of adequate and affordable electric power,
especially solar and winds”.
The APC leader also advised the president to
help the common farmer by improving rural output and incomes.
To this end, he said Nigeria must return to the
commodity exchange boards or “similar mechanisms to allow farmers to secure
their income and hedge against loss”.
He said there should be an active and expanded
agricultural loan scheme.
He said the government should also make
business and consumer credit available by lowering interest rates.
The former Lagos governor also advised Mr.
Buhari to “ move towards true federalism by the balance of power and
responsibility between the federal government and the states.
“In so doing, we attain the correct balance
between our collective purpose on one hand and our separate grassroots
realities on the other,” he said.
Mr. Tinubu also informed the president that a
lot of Nigerians are suffering and that he needed to do more.
“Through no fault of their own, too many of our
people are without.
“ Too many parents cannot properly feed and
clothe their precious children. Too many young adults exist in the void of
joblessness, and too many of us do not have the resources to care for the
elderly parents who once cared for them. We must cure these wrongs,” he said.
Speaking further, Mr. Tinubu said “If I were an
architect, I would say that President Buhari has used the last two years to
wisely lay the deep and wide foundation for a new building called a better
Nigeria”.
- Premium Times
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