The president Nigeria deserves —ACF General Secretary

General Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony N. Z. Sani, speaks on how campaign for the 2019 elections should be conducted by presidential candidates and their parties.

 

THE parties have been engrossed in campaigns of mudslinging. Is that what the nation needs now? What does the trend for the coming elections?

My take on the campaign of mudslinging by our politicians is manifestation of absence of ideology in the political parties, which are expected to represent distinct approaches to addressing national challenges.

These distinct methods of solving national problems should be in the party manifesto, which the party should use and canvass for the needed electoral mandate for execution. But in the case of multi-party democracy in Nigeria, the political parties do not have such distinct manifestos. As a result, the campaigns are devoid of real issues of real concern to ordinary Nigerians. That is why most politicians are committed to political parties, and defect from their political parties with relative ease. They resort to politics of identity as symbolised by ethnicity, religion and geography. Their major consideration is how to win elections and not about which party can deliver on the promise of democracy.

• 2019 polls: NUJ to partner INEC, NOA, others on vote buying/hate speech sensitisation

 

Against the background of the prevailing situation in the country, what kind of president does the country deserve this time round?

The country deserves a president who can deliver on the promise of democracy and issues which most Nigerians share. Such a president has to be elected by people who make use of their democratic rights and let votes count so that he can be held accountable to the electorate. No vote buying and no rigging. This is because a president who is a product of vote buying and rigging would not be accountable to the electorate.

 

What are those issues that candidates should be addressing before Nigerians and why do you consider such issues germane?

The real issues of concern to most Nigerians include how to put complete end to insecurity, how to reduce corruption to the minimum and how to diversify the economy away from dependence on oil, which is not result of hard work. This government has been trying by addressing the listed challenges. But since the opposition parties believe the regime has not tried enough, let the campaigns feature methods of overcoming the challenges. I say this because achievements do not come about through mere declaration but are specific on how to make desires possible and then actual. Politicians should be made to understand that some promises are too good to be true. So, they should not promise air-conditioned roads. I read the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports which said even though the ratio of the national debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is healthy, that of debt to revenue is unsavoury The IMF suggested massive mobilisation of the revenues which would be by form of taxation. There is, therefore, the need for our politicians to debate on taxes because while taxes can fund welfare programmes by way of health and education, over-taxation can stifle investments and, thus, economic growth. Our politicians should therefore debate appropriate level of taxation and best methods of tax collection. That way, taxes will be veritable sources of not only revenues but also inculcate civil responsibility among Nigerians.