Ribadu, who is seeking the presidential ticket of the Action Congress of Nigeria, stated this during the formal declaration of his ambition in Abuja on Wednesday. He said there was the need to restructure the economy and reduce recurrent expenditure.
The former EFCC boss noted that in 2009, Nigeria’s revenue was N86bn, adding that half of the proceeds was spent on imports.
He said, “This is not the path to progress. Already, we are running a scandalously shameful budget ratio where overheads and recurrent expenditure are a staggering 75 per cent of the annual budget and where the 25 per cent balance is sure to disappear through the notorious corruption chute.”
Ribadu attributed poverty in the country to poor leadership, mismanagement and the ‘inefficient utilisation’ of its abundant resources.
He said, “Poverty reduction, therefore, will be an underlying factor in addressing the challenges of development in the 21st century.”
Explaining his agenda, he declared, “If you, fellow Nigerians, elect me as your next president, competence will be the hallmark of policy formulation and execution. I shall bring into public service very capable individuals to ensure that Nigerian taxpayers get value for their investment in government.”
According to him, his administration will reduce public spending and target between seven and eight per cent economic growth every year. Ribadu said his administration would pursue functional and qualitative education, which he described as an instrument of social transformation.
He promised to increase the budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent, in line with UNESCO’s recommendation.
In his remarks, a civil rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, said all Nigerian children were entitled to free education, noting that many of the nation’s leaders enjoyed the benefit.
Falana said, “ All the governors in power today, did not pay for their education. All retired generals retired did not pay anything for education. Why are they asking children of the poor to pay for education?”
Falana said that Nigeria must implement the judgment of the ECOWAS Court on compulsory free education for all Nigerian children.
He said the court recently ruled that it was the responsibility of “the Nigerian state to educate every child in Nigeria.”
He stated, “The 2011 elections must be based on ideas, principles and ideology; not ethnicity, religion and other primordial consolidations.”
Falana said that those who made Ribadu flee the country to exile two years ago included a former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, and a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mike Aondoakaa.
Falana alleged that Aondoaka told him that Ribadu would be jailed.
“He (Aandoaka) told me one day, ‘Femi whether you like it or not we shall send Ribadu to jail,” he recalled. The lawyer said that if Ribadu had gone to jail, he would have been a political prisoner.
The chairman of the occasion, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said Nigeria was in a serious trouble and as such, was in need of ran energetic and dynamic leader. Ogbeh, who is the chairman of the Ribadu Campaign Organisation, said most world leaders were in Ribadu’s age bracket.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/
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