Presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has again taken a swipe at the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of playing ignorance to the plight of the people, lamenting that Nigeria was now known as world capital of poverty.
Ezekwesili made this remark on Monday while speaking at a stakeholder’s meeting with party members and market leaders at Yaba area of Lagos.
According to Ezekwesili, who later visited Tejuoso Market to sell her party’s programmes to the traders and artisans, the two parties are going about attacking each other over frivolous matters instead of reeling out campaigns that would better a lot of Nigerians.
Ezekwesili, who is a former minister of education, said would run an all-inclusive government if voted as next president of Nigeria, even as she warned that issues of poverty if not taken seriously could lead to destabilisation of the country.
“Today, we are known as the world capital of poverty, we overtook Indian a country that is seven times our population by having 87 million Nigerians living in poverty.
“According to the analysis that produced that result, the number could grow and double as our populations grow and double. One thing that we know in the world of development is that poverty could destabilise any country, even if the world of development did not tell us that theoretically, we could see from what happened in the regions where there is prolific poverty,” she said.
“How many of you will want to see the replay of the North- East in the rest of the regions in our country,” the ACPN presidential candidate queried, declaring: “Poverty is a destabiliser, therefore we must tackle it in farces sense of urgency.”
She said that accounted for reason eradication of poverty was the flagship programme of her party, promising that once she was elected, the menace would be tackled headlong.
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“That is why eradication of poverty is the flagship program of our party. When we are elected into office we will tackle poverty. We will build a prosperous economy,” she assured.
Speaking further, Ezekwesili said the ACPN was on a rescue mission to deliver the country from backwardness and underdevelopment, adding: “I am not running to be president, am running to lead the citizens’ movement that will rescue our country for all of us.”
“Clearly, Our country has had president but what our country is in need of now, is rescue and the rescue cannot be done by one or two people, it cannot be done by one strong person who has the idea, it has to be a collective efforts of both the governed and those that want to govern, these set of people must come together in a place of agreement, resolute,” she added.
