• Says No State Develops Without Accurate Data For Planning
The candidate of the Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance, APDA in the July 14 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, Barrister Tope Adebayo has berated the incumbent government for non disclosure of the financial status of the state. He decried the unavailability of data required for proper planning towards development of the State. This was on Wednesday at Ekiti 2018 governorship candidate debate organised by “Ekitis in Diaspora”- a group of Ekiti indigenes residing outside the state.
Speaking at the event, Tope Adebayo said; “by the time I commenced my plans to contest this election, I and my team visited the State revenue office in Ekiti to confirm what we generate, the allocation received from Abuja and what the debt profile looks like; there was no reasonable data to answer all these important questions. No data to ascertain what we generate as IGR on monthly or annual basis, there is none to show the number of tax payers in the state, or what we spent on salaries. This is very appalling, because no state or society will be able to provide adequate plan for its future under these circumstances.”
Speaking further, at the event where candidates from other political parties participated, the former student union leader posited that; “no serious state will develop based on speculations and unconfirmed assumptions. The current arrangement in Ekiti State cannot support any move to improve the quality of lives and standard of living”.
Adebayo therefore called on Ekiti electorates to seek an alternative that can guarantee a better future for the state and its people. According to him; “APDA, with its redemption strategy, has the way out of this current economic doldrums. The earning power of the people must be increased by restructuring the economic order through strategic human capital development.” He stated.
Meanwhile, in his closing remarks, an elder statesman and frontline politician, Dr. Kunle Olajide who chaired the occasion decried the economy situation of the state and declared that Nigerian polity needs political restructuring to put the country on the right path.