All Progressives Congress (APC) vice
presidential candidate Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
has attributed the poor implementation of
the Subsidy Re-investment and
Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) to its
alleged hijack by chieftains of the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Osinbajo spoke with reporters at a
restaurant in Lagos, in continuation of his
meet-the-people campaign tour.
Claiming that the Federal Government
might have had the best of intention in
establishing the programme, he noted that
its stated objectives have not been
achieved due largely to its abuse and
mismanagement by government’s cronies.
He said: “I make bold to say that in terms
of stated objectives, the SURE-P has failed
due to the wrong strategy adopted in its
implementation.
“The subsidy fund has been mismanaged
and abused. The way and manner it was
set up makes it open for abuse.”
On the objectives of his campaign tour
aimed at interfacing directly with the
people, Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of
Nigeria (SAN), said it was part of listening
to the concerns of the people and
explaining the vision of the APC, if it forms
the next government at the centre.
“We are moving around Lagos to meet the
people. It’s a phased plan and we have
plans to move to other states in due
course. The election is about 40 days
away and within this period, we want to
cover as many states as possible,” he
explained.
On the agenda of an APC-led Federal
Government, the former Lagos State
Commissioner for Justice and Attorney
General said job creation and security
would form the fulcrum of its policies.
According to him, every policy of the
government would be geared towards
providing jobs for the people.
He added that within the first few months
in office, the 36 states would be mandated
to provide a minimum of 20,000 jobs as
immediate relief to tackle unemployment.
In addition, he said employers of labour,
who employ a certain number of people,
would be offered incentives by the
government, while agriculture would also
be accorded priority through massive
subsidy.
Osinbajo added that APC-led
administration would introduce the
construction of low cost housing, provision
of one meal per day for primary school
pupils with its multiplier effects in the
agriculture sector and payment of stipends
to graduates, who have undergone
vocational training after the completion of
their National Youth Service Corp (NYSC).
He noted: “Eighty per cent of graduates do
not have jobs and youths are disenchanted
and something needs to be done urgently.
For me, my interest in politics is all about
the people. As the Attorney General in
Lagos State, I created the office of the
Office of the Public Defender (OPD) to
defend the rights of poor people.
“Any responsible government must cater
for the needs of the people. I can assure
you that an APC-run government headed
by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari would take
the welfare of the people very seriously.
There would also be social security for the
disabled and the elderly.”
Source:www.thenationonlineng.net/new/sure-p-failed-says-osinbajo/