APC owes Nigerians explanation on change mantra – Soludo
Former CBN Governor, Charles Soludo yesterday told the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, APC, that it owes Nigerians explanations on how to achieve its change mantra.
Soludo stated this while presenting a paper titled “A Fragile State With A Failing Economy: Making
Progressive Change Work For Nigeria” at the 4th Lecture Series of Progressives Governors Forum held in Kaduna yesterday.He charged the APC to fulfil the change promises it promised Nigerians prior to the 2015 general elections.
He said the progressive governors must not turn their back against the federal government for it to progressively get things done rightly in the country.
Soludo recommended ways on how it can achieve the change it promised Nigerians.
According to him “There is need to fully resource and institutionalise the Progressive Governors Forum secretariat for global best outreach, peer review mechanism and lesson sharing.
“From the APC perspective, there should be a coalition of economic policies that can deals with disparate socio-economic issues in a systematic and sustainable manner.
“There is need for communication strategy that effectively communicates change in a forward looking and inspiring manner for the citizenry. This is important for building consensus for development.
“Restructuring of the economy from consumption driven to production based.
“Consistency in micro economic policies
“Encouraging fiscal federalism in ways that allow states to have greater control of their resources
“Evolution of a master plan for mass export oriented industrialisation that answers the economic questions and realities of today
“APC developing over-arching vision of Nigeria without Oil
“There should be a coordinating mechanism for developing the 2017 budget
“There is need to fully resource and institutionalise the Progressive Governors Forum secretariat for global best outreach, peer review mechanism and lesson sharing,” he said.
He continued when he said, Poverty has become a dynasty that agriculture cannot address in a long run.
He said Qualitative and accessible education is the way out and long term to address the poverty level which, if not done, will continue to widen.
He equally suggested Mass industrialisation in the long term.
He said Leaders are under pressure to deliver dividends of democracy, saying “Electoral cycle puts pressure on elected public officials to deliver in the short term thereby endangering long term planning.”
Speaking while discussing the paper presentation, Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, stressed the need for the state governors to unbundle the potentials of their states and fuse it together to grow the economy of its state and the Internal Generated Revenue, IGR.
Ambode however said this is important particularly, against the practice of calling the state governors to Abuja to share allocations.
