INFERS THAT; ATIKU WILL SUSTAIN THE CULTURE OF WASTE, BUT WILL UNITE NIGERIANS
A key confidante of the Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Dino Melaye has showered encomiums on the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, describing him as a “good Nigerian, intellectually and administratively sagacious”.
In a video he posted directly on his verified Facebook page, the former Senator who served as the official agent to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the PDP presidential primaries agreed with all the qualities possessed by Mr. Peter Obi, which has drawn most Nigerians of goodwill towards supporting the former Anambra State governor to become the next President of Nigeria.
Melaye particularly pointed out the fact that Mr Peter Obi has demonstrated a convincing grasp of what is required to cut cost of governance in the country, but curiously argued that isn’t what Nigeria needs at the moment. He argued that; “Nigeria needs unification more than cutting cost of governance”. However, some Nigerians took him up on that, by faulting his argument.
Reacting to the video, a filmmaker and public affairs analyst, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, said that there will be no better way to unite Nigeria than cutting the cost of governance. According to him;
“Unifying Nigeria, is not some kind of automated action. You can’t unite Nigerians by merely wishing it. You unite Nigerians through the provision of good governance, and nothing guarantees good governance more than strengthening the economy, and the economy can only become stronger when wastefulness is plugged.”
Speaking further, the political activist and critic said that if Dino Melaye agrees that Peter Obi can cut the cost of governance, then, he has invariably accepted that Peter Obi is the best candidate for Nigerian presidency in 2023.
“Simple logic, Senator Melaye, if you cut the cost of governance, you would have drastically reduced corruption, and when you reduce corruption in public offices, you have inadvertently released more funds into tackling Nigeria’s developmental problems, and when you tackle these, you would have created more jobs and more opportunities for wealth for ordinary Nigerians, and when more Nigerians have jobs and more have access to wealth, there will be less focus on the things that divide us and more attention to the things that unite us. It is actually poverty, injustice and inequity that divide us, and once we address those, we have unified the country.” He concluded.
Many Nigerians have also argued that Senator Melaye’s speech implies that Atiku Abubakar, his principal and preferred candidate, will continue in the habit of squandering Nigeria’s commonwealth through wasteful public expenditures.