During the student union election in 1979/80 at the University of Benin, one Liad Tella, who was of the economic and Statistic department thought the university community how sacred facts can and how effective statistic can be used for electioneering campaign.
Talla entered the race for the student union election to the office of Student welfare two weeks to the election. When he announced his candidacy to the class, he was taken as a joker. He neither printed posters nor embark on elaborate campaign like others.
He simply went to the library and took stock of the seats available in the library. He did the same for Hostel accommodation and the cafeteria then. What he did next was to ask from the authorities the number of students in the school and what was the ideal facilities the students were supposed to have in the various infrastructure name above. He got the data and was armed for the manifesto night.
When it was his turn to speak, Tella just told the student body number of seats in the library and how many were supposed to be there, he said the same of the hostel accommodation, the cafeteria and what the students were missing by the university not providing adequate facilities for them to study without tears. Before he finished, the man who no body gave a chance was endorsed by all the students with a chat, Tella, you have won, Tella you have won.
I decided to reflect on this experience in my student days based on the hollow nature of the electioneering campaigns going on in the 2015 bid for the various elective post. Nigeria politicians have left the substance and chasing shadow with our country men looking helpless. These politicians are not making any measurable promise to the electorate. They are just dancing naked to amuse the electorate.
Each time they mount the rostrum they speak vague and foul language devoid of facts and figure. There is no new idea of how to deal with the economic and social problems that have plagued the nation. I will deal with corruption. What is the level of corruption you plan to deal with? In what sector, arm of government do you have this high level of corruption, how much is Nigeria losing per year due to corruption. The parties have not conducted any study, they have no idea how much is being lost and how to block the loopholes. What are the new plans to deal with corruption, Nigerians are not being told yet we clap our hands for vague speeches made on soap box.
Nigerians know that the major development challenges facing the country today are corruption, insecurity, economy that is unemployment/poverty, power, infrastructure, etc; health and education. The ongoing campaign shows that the two political parties do not understand the depth of the economic problem facing the country. They both have no credible agenda to deal with the issues, especially within the context of the evolving global economy and Nigeria’s broken public finance.
A look at what happens in other part of democratic world, Party and leaders who do their home work usually come up with policy framework where programmes and policies they intend to pursue ie Party manifesto are fully costed and strategies to finance and implement them are spelt out. Neither APC nor PDP can make such claim.
To any Economist any plan without the cost outlay is nothing but a wish-list. They are not telling us how much each of their promises will cost and where they will get the money. None talks about the broken or near bankrupt public finance and the strategy to fix it.
Each talks about agricultural revolution, what type of agriculture are we planning to implement? What are the value chains the agric policy will pursue? What light industries are coming on stream and where are they to be located? Who are how they to be financed are? What is the cost estimate for such projects? How many jobs are to be created from the sector per annum? These are questions that they are avoiding to answer. What is the export strategy for the surplus that will be created form investment in agriculture? Which market is Nigeria targeting for export? And what plans are in their manifesto to free Nigeria from dependence on import especially petroleum imports in order to save the naira from continued devaluation?
In response to the question of where the money will come from, some Nigerians, journalist inclusive are quick to say that the problem of Nigeria is not money but the management of resources. This is far from the truth. To deliver an efficient national transport infrastructure alone according available estimate will cost $3.05 trillion per in the next 30 years about $25 billion per annum even by corruption-free, cost-effective means estimated by National Economic Council.
These politicians should stop lie to Nigerians and tell the nation how both parties would fund their programmes. This crop of new generation politicians should learn a lesson from Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was asked in 1978 and 1979 electioneering campaign about his promises of free education and free medical services.
He, Awolowo always reeled out figures about the amounts he would save from various ‘waste’ including the tea/coffee served in government offices. The issue here is that he would always do his homework before making any pronouncement. Evidently, from what the two major political parties are offering it does not seem that they are offering Nigerians any serious deal.
