?
The Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, has stressed that contrary to reports in the media, the state governors were not against the Sovereign Wealth Fund. According to him, the method of implementation was the problem. The governor also urged the Federal Government to be courageous enough to unbundle the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and implement all the reports and decisions taken under the power sector reforms.
?
The governor said this at the maiden convocation lecture of the Fountain University, Osogbo, on Friday, where he officiated as the guest speaker.
Governor Aliyu also said that the state governors were not against the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) plan of the Federal Government, as was widely reported, but rather, were not at peace with the proposed method of implementation, and added that there was need to ensure that the savings did not become a “pill of death.”
?
“Indeed, we should save for the future as a nation. That is what many other nations have done to secure their future. It should be of interest for Nigerians to note that state governors are not against the sovereign wealth fund as being widely reported.
“However, we believe that the modus operandi must be properly placed so that everyone can appreciate the essence of what is being done. Moreover, we must ensure that savings do not become a pill of death. In other words, there should be a balance between meeting the needs of the present and those of the future.”
?
Governor Aliyu, who spoke widely on the issue of governance, said that government at all levels must also fight poverty as a moral, social and political imperative, by concentrating on the country’s comparative advantage in agriculture.?
“It is gratifying to note that with the emergence of the trio of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido; finance minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the agriculture minister, Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, Nigeria will hopefully go beyond theories to results in the agricultural transformation. The agricultural sector should witness proper revitalisation this time around.
?
He also urged the Federal Government to resuscitate decayed infrastructures such as the road, rail, and the maritime transportation systems to enhance economic development.
Aliyu, who came hard on poor governance in Nigeria, urged the elites to “come together and tackle the problem of poor leadership and take a place in the transformation of the country”.
?
He charged governors and other public office holders to show basic elements of transformation, which he enumerated as accountability, transparency and genuine participation in development. This, he noted would promote genuine national transformation, reduce poverty at the grassroots level and enhance a socially inclusive government.
?
“Issues militating against the genuine transformation of this country include elite fragmentation, dominance and power struggle, social exclusion, poverty and ignorance, greed and materialism, general insecurity, among others.
“It is also difficult to believe that our population is the problem. Despite their high population figures, China and India are examples of nations recording remarkable leaps in poverty reduction and accelerated economic development,” he noted.