Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has said that the current downturn in the economy cannot be reserved as long as politicians keep borrowing to sustain their ostentatious live style.
Obi made the disclosure on Sunday during The Peoples Town hall live interview, organized for presidential candidates and their running mates by Channels Television and its media partners.
He said that Nigeria will continue to be in crisis if the government continues in what he described as “injustice, unfairness, poverty, unemployment and young people not knowing where the next meal will come from”.
Obi further explained that there was nothing wrong with borrowing, but emphasized that the mistakes that got Nigeria to over N77trn debt stock was occasioned by mindless looting of borrowed funds, stressing that it is the easiest way to kill the economy of any country.
He promised to borrow money for only strategic investments and deployment in critical sectors of the economy, and not “to subsidise the greed of some powerful people or simply on something that is want only to be consumed”.
He explained that Japan, one of the most industrialised countries globally, is in huge debt stock, but emphasise that the ratio of their debt to GDP remains one of the lowest in the world.
The LP presidential candidate predicted economic boom for the country if he is given mandate to run the country, stressing that with Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, his running mate, who he said is an acclaimed successful businessman
He also said he would deploy the skills and strategy which Baba-Ahmed had deployed in running a successful university and hospital and combine same with how he successfully ran Anambra as Governor and push the country from current gloom to prosperity, same way he took Anambra from last position to first position in virtually every human development index.
Also in his presentation, Baba Datti-Ahmed, said he would make available his vault of experiences to advise his principal on critical sectors that would guarantee improved education paradigm, health, agriculture, technology and security.
Both of them emphasised the need for Nigerians to critically analyse the integrity quotient of the candidates, as well as their involvement in corruption issues, stressing that they remain the only presidential ticket with no scintilla of corruption around them adding that their personality is what Nigeria needs if it should begin to make progress.