Former House of Representatives member from Oyo State, Bosun Oladele, has urged Nigerians to hold states and local government areas accountable for interventions and palliatives provided by the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu.
Oladele expressed concern that Nigerians habitually criticise the Federal Government for the poor performance of states and local governments. “Who did this to us?” he asked.
In an interview amid ongoing protests, Oladele, the National Secretary of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA’23), stated that President Tinubu’s administration has implemented significant reforms, particularly in increasing funds to states and LGs through higher federal revenue.
“The increased revenue is mainly from the removal of fuel subsidies, a boost in export products versus importation leading to a significant trade surplus, and the unification of exchange rates,” he said.
Oladele acknowledged that these bold policies have caused short-term hardships but argued they are crucial for the country’s future prosperity.
highlighted various government interventions and welfare programmes, such as a N30,000 wage award for six months to civil servants at all government levels, a new minimum wage of N70,000, and student loans.
“The question is, have we really held our states and local governments accountable for these provisions meant to ensure our people’s comfort? The answer is no!” the former commissioner said.
He criticised the tendency to blame the Federal Government for the inefficacy of states and LGs. “If every Federal Government in Nigeria had worked with the dexterity, sense of purpose, urgency, and speed of Tinubu’s government since the return of democracy, our country would be midway to becoming a leading global nation by now. Yet, the protesters seem to believe that Nigeria began as a country in 2023 because some people couldn’t bear losing an election,” he added.
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