During the student union election in 1979/80 at the University of Benin, Mr. S.A. Tella, now a professor of Economic and Statistics department taught the university community how sacred facts and effective statistics can be used for electioneering campaign.
Tella entered the race for the student union election to the office of Student welfare two weeks to the election. When he announced his candidacy to the class, he was taken as a joker. He neither printed posters nor embarked on elaborate campaign like others.
He simply went to the library and took stock of the seats available in the library. He did the same for Hostel accommodation and the cafeteria. What he did next was to ask from the authorities the number of students in the school and what was the ideal facilities the students were supposed to have in the various places named above. He got the data and was armed for the manifesto night.
When it was his turn to speak, Tella just told the student body the number of seats in the library and how many were supposed to be there, he said the same of the hostel accommodation, the cafeteria and what the students were missing by the university not providing adequate facilities for them to study without tears.
Before he finished, the man who nobody gave a chance, was endorsed by all the students with the chant, “Tella, you have won, Tella you have won.” I decided to reflect on this experience in my student days based on the hollow nature of the electioneering campaigns going on in the 2015 bid for the various elective posts.
Nigerian politicians have left the substance and are chasing shadows while our country men watch helplessly. These politicians are not making any measurable promise to the electorate. They are just dancing naked to amuse the electorate. Each time they mount the rostrum, they speak vague and foul language devoid of facts and figures.
There is no new idea of how to deal with the economic and social problems that have plagued the nation. “I will deal with corruption.” What is the level of corruption you plan to deal with? In what sector or arm of government do you have this high level of corruption? How much is Nigeria losing per year due to corruption? The parties have not conducted any study, they have no idea how much is being lost and how to block the loopholes. What are the new plans to deal with corruption? Nigerians are not being told; yet we clap our hands for vague speeches made on soap box. Nigerians know that the major development challenges facing the country today are corruption, insecurity, the economy – unemployment/poverty, power, infrastructure, health and education etc.
The ongoing campaign shows that the two political parties do not understand the depth of the economic problem facing the country. They both have no credible agenda to deal with the issues, especially within the context of the evolving global economy and Nigeria’s broken public finance. A look at what happens in other parts of democratic world, party and leaders who do their home work usually come up with policy framework where programmes and policies they intend to pursue ie Party manifesto, are fully costed and strategies to finance and implement them are spelt out. Neither APC nor PDP can make such claim. To any economist, any plan without the cost outlay is nothing but a wish-list.
They are not telling us how much each of their promises will cost and where they will get the money to run them. None talks about the broken or near bankrupt public finance and the strategy to fix it. Each talks about agricultural revolution, what type of agriculture are we planning to implement? What are the value chains the agric policy will pursue? What light industries are coming on stream and where are they to be located? How are they to be financed? What is the cost estimate for such projects?
How many jobs are to be created from the sector per annum? These are questions that they are not ready to answer. What is the export strategy for the surplus that will be created from investment in agriculture? Which market is Nigeria targeting for export? And what plans are in their manifesto to free Nigeria from dependence on import especially petroleum imports in order to save the naira from continued devaluation?
In response to the question of where the money will come from, some Nigerians, journalists inclusive, are quick to say that the problem of Nigeria is not money but the management of resources. This is far from the truth. To deliver an efficient national transport infrastructure alone according to available estimate, will cost $3.05 trillion in the next 30 years, about $25 billion per annum even by corruption-free, cost-effective means estimated by National Economic Council.
These politicians should stop lying to Nigerians and tell the nation how both parties would fund their programmes. This crop of politicians should learn a lesson from Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was asked in 1978/79 electioneering campaign about his promises of free education and free medical services. He, Awolowo reeled out figures about the amounts he would save from various ‘waste’ including the tea/coffee served in government offices. The issue here is that he would always do his homework before making any pronouncement. Evidently, from what the two major political parties are offering, it does not seem that they are offering Nigerians any serious deal. -
Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/pdp-apc-your-promises-are-vague/
Tella entered the race for the student union election to the office of Student welfare two weeks to the election. When he announced his candidacy to the class, he was taken as a joker. He neither printed posters nor embarked on elaborate campaign like others.
He simply went to the library and took stock of the seats available in the library. He did the same for Hostel accommodation and the cafeteria. What he did next was to ask from the authorities the number of students in the school and what was the ideal facilities the students were supposed to have in the various places named above. He got the data and was armed for the manifesto night.
When it was his turn to speak, Tella just told the student body the number of seats in the library and how many were supposed to be there, he said the same of the hostel accommodation, the cafeteria and what the students were missing by the university not providing adequate facilities for them to study without tears.
Before he finished, the man who nobody gave a chance, was endorsed by all the students with the chant, “Tella, you have won, Tella you have won.” I decided to reflect on this experience in my student days based on the hollow nature of the electioneering campaigns going on in the 2015 bid for the various elective posts.
Nigerian politicians have left the substance and are chasing shadows while our country men watch helplessly. These politicians are not making any measurable promise to the electorate. They are just dancing naked to amuse the electorate. Each time they mount the rostrum, they speak vague and foul language devoid of facts and figures.
There is no new idea of how to deal with the economic and social problems that have plagued the nation. “I will deal with corruption.” What is the level of corruption you plan to deal with? In what sector or arm of government do you have this high level of corruption? How much is Nigeria losing per year due to corruption? The parties have not conducted any study, they have no idea how much is being lost and how to block the loopholes. What are the new plans to deal with corruption? Nigerians are not being told; yet we clap our hands for vague speeches made on soap box. Nigerians know that the major development challenges facing the country today are corruption, insecurity, the economy – unemployment/poverty, power, infrastructure, health and education etc.
The ongoing campaign shows that the two political parties do not understand the depth of the economic problem facing the country. They both have no credible agenda to deal with the issues, especially within the context of the evolving global economy and Nigeria’s broken public finance. A look at what happens in other parts of democratic world, party and leaders who do their home work usually come up with policy framework where programmes and policies they intend to pursue ie Party manifesto, are fully costed and strategies to finance and implement them are spelt out. Neither APC nor PDP can make such claim. To any economist, any plan without the cost outlay is nothing but a wish-list.
They are not telling us how much each of their promises will cost and where they will get the money to run them. None talks about the broken or near bankrupt public finance and the strategy to fix it. Each talks about agricultural revolution, what type of agriculture are we planning to implement? What are the value chains the agric policy will pursue? What light industries are coming on stream and where are they to be located? How are they to be financed? What is the cost estimate for such projects?
How many jobs are to be created from the sector per annum? These are questions that they are not ready to answer. What is the export strategy for the surplus that will be created from investment in agriculture? Which market is Nigeria targeting for export? And what plans are in their manifesto to free Nigeria from dependence on import especially petroleum imports in order to save the naira from continued devaluation?
In response to the question of where the money will come from, some Nigerians, journalists inclusive, are quick to say that the problem of Nigeria is not money but the management of resources. This is far from the truth. To deliver an efficient national transport infrastructure alone according to available estimate, will cost $3.05 trillion in the next 30 years, about $25 billion per annum even by corruption-free, cost-effective means estimated by National Economic Council.
These politicians should stop lying to Nigerians and tell the nation how both parties would fund their programmes. This crop of politicians should learn a lesson from Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was asked in 1978/79 electioneering campaign about his promises of free education and free medical services. He, Awolowo reeled out figures about the amounts he would save from various ‘waste’ including the tea/coffee served in government offices. The issue here is that he would always do his homework before making any pronouncement. Evidently, from what the two major political parties are offering, it does not seem that they are offering Nigerians any serious deal. -
Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/pdp-apc-your-promises-are-vague/
No comments:
Post a Comment