The colloquium tagged, “Work For The People”, was mainly a celebration of the recent presidential poll in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned President Mohammadu Buhari as winner.
In his remarks, Tinubu expressed gratitude to the president for laying a good foundation for the economic recovery of the country, even as he acknowledged the challenges faced by the administration.
While assuring that Nigeria would reach its next level of development, the former Lagos State governor admitted he would have felt miserable on his birthday had the APC lost the presidential poll. He paid tributes to the Oshiomhole-led NWC for the feat and for ensuring that the party won majority seats in both arms of the National Assembly.
He blamed the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the infrastructural decay in the polity and assured that there would be increased electricity generation, transmission and distribution by more than 50 per cent within the next four years. This, he said, would require bold reforms, which include revisiting the privatisation policy in place when the PDP was at the helms of affairs.
Warning against the planned increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), he said government must not go into any venture that would reduce the purchasing power of Nigerians.
“Consumer spending is dipping. And this is the place I will stop and appeal to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the vice president, and his team to put a huge question mark on any increase on VAT, please.
“If we reduce the purchasing power of the people, we can further slow down the economy. Let us widen the tax net. Those who are not paying now, even if it is inclusive of Bola Tinubu, let the (tax) net get bigger and it will take in more taxes instead of additional layers of taxes. For now, I stop here.”
“I commend the Vice President, my dear friend, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and his team for organizing another excellent Colloquium. VP Osinbajo and his team have done a fine job bringing us together again this day.
“You have enhanced our democratic and economic discourse at a moment when such public discussion is greatly needed.
“You see, Next Level is not just a trendy campaign phrase to be quickly discarded once victory has been achieved.
“It has a much deeper and more profound meaning, perhaps even more than its authors contemplated. This is because we are a nation still in the process of defining itself politically and economically.
“In this process, it is tempting and easy to borrow indiscriminately from those nations that seem to have mastered the art of democratic governance and to have achieved economic prosperity.
“However, to achieve durable progress, we can’t afford to work hard but in mindless devotion to the ways of other nations.
“This truth is particularly acute when these very nations now face fundamental political and economic questions that cast doubt on the social utility and viability of the economic model under which they have travelled for the past 50 years.
“Forecasters are predicting a global recession within the next 12-18 months. We must recognize these harsh economic tidings as advance warnings to the wise. Hence we must think deeper and work harder for our people in Nigeria.
“Mr. President, you have warned several times that the storm that approaches is not inevitable. It is born of a human folly and reckless greed. This means that it can be rectified by human wisdom and prudential action.
“The Next Level must be seen as part of this global and historic dynamic.
Our pursuit of the Next Level cannot be achieved by blindly following the economic path of other nations.
“That would be tantamount to racing to live in a building just as its long-term occupants were frantically rushing out, screaming that the edifice was mean and crumbling. If we are smart, we dare not enter.
“To pull the nation from poverty, government must play a decisive role. It must at times direct and even develop markets and opportunities. This is nothing novel.
“The single most important sector for the government’s focus is infrastructure. The most important of our infrastructural demands is power. This has been the greatest discovery of humanity in the last thousand years.
POWER:
I believe the second Buhari administration will work to increase electricity generation, transmission and distribution by more than 50 percent within the next 4 years.
INFRASTRUCTURE:
Government should continue to aggressively implement its national infrastructure plan.
We must applaud President Buhari for the historic innovations made in the agricultural sector. We must further encourage him to do even more.
Government funded social security for the aged and government backed affordable housing and mortgage facilities are things we must continue to explore in an aggressive manner.
Let it be that all may live in social contentment and tranquillity with his neighbour as well as with himself. This is what we mean by the Next Level.
Thank you for this wonderful birthday present you have given me. I have been enriched and energized by the intellectual exchange. I hope that you have too. Now, let’s move on to the Next Level.
