Laolu Akande Calls For Immediate FG Action On Nigeria’s Escalating Poverty Crisis

Laolu Akande, the former presidential spokesperson, said that the rising poverty levels in the country have reached a crisis point, urging the Federal Government to address the issue urgently.

During an interview on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Akande described the poverty gap in the country as “tremendous,” highlighting a prevailing resistance among the public towards government spending, regardless of its justification.

Reacting to widespread discontent among Nigerians, the former presidential aide responded to what many perceive as extravagant and questionable expenditures by both the Lagos State Government and the controversial N2.8 trillion 2023 supplementary budget recently approved by the Senate.

Akande said that the substantial poverty rate in the country plays a role in fostering distrust among Nigerians regarding government expenditure.

“He said, “I want to say two things, number one if you look at the fact that people are now paying attention, there is a greater focus, especially on what is happening in the state, in terms of the budget. That is a good thing.”

“The level of transparency has increased, so, there is more attention that is focused on it. We expect that the governors will begin to also modify. You are going to see that because once these issues are been aired publicly, it will increase the level of their responsibilities. I expect that. That is a good thing.

“The other important point I want to emphasize is that the poverty gap in our country is so tremendous that ordinary people cannot imagine the kind of money that has been spent on certain aspects of governance.

“Look, the truth of the matter is that governance is costly. And we can have that discussion in terms of what has to be done to reduce the cost of governance.

“If you’re going to have the government do their work, there is going to be a lot of expenses indeed. But the kind of poverty that we have in our society does not allow people to even begin to imagine even if some of these figures were moderate.

“Now I will say there is a lot of excesses without a doubt, there are things that have been cut off. But we need to deal with the issue of poverty. Poor people cannot reason that you need this amount of money. A billion in our budget comes to even just one percent but you cannot tell that to a poor man.

Akande said, “There is no doubt democracy is the best form of governance that has been invented by humankind. The question is whether our political elites are ready to serve patriotically.

“If the political elites have 50 percent love for the country, just 50 percent, Nigeria would be transformed. That is one area that we need to focus our attention on, and that is why the people need to understand in a democracy, it is about the people.”

“The people have to be aware, the people have to be engaged, that’s why I thought that the level of voter apathy is just incredible. 20 percent of the registered voters go out to vote.”

Kanyi Daily recalls that Laolu Akande stressed the need to make political offices less enticing and foster part-time engagements.