Politicians Focus More On Elections Than Solving Economic Problems- SECRA Director

The Executive Director of the Social Economics and Civic Right Advocacy (SECRA), Comrade Olowu Emmanuel, has expressed concern that Nigerian politicians are prioritising electioneering activities over addressing the country’s pressing economic and governance challenges.

Speaking on Monday during the Newspaper Review programme on City Mirror TV in Osogbo, Olowu said,

“Nigerian politicians work within the first and second year after election, but the third and fourth year is mostly dedicated to the election process. That is the experience we are seeing in Nigeria. Come next year, we are going to have a federal election, and now every politician is so concerned about politics and not the real issues of governance.”

He emphasised the importance of government action for citizens, adding,
“I want to use this medium to make Nigerians understand that after God, it’s government. It’s important to see the next election as a means for leadership to survive and for us to improve the current state of governance in Nigeria.”

Olowu also addressed the policies of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, which increased revenue for state governments. He questioned whether citizens have benefited from these policies.

“All of President Tinubu’s policies since he came on board have largely benefited the elite. Take the removal of fuel subsidy, it brought a lot of funds to the states. A lot of state governments now have humongous amounts of money in their pockets, but the question is: what are these governors using the money for? Do the projects they carry out really solve the problems of the people?” he asked.

He further criticised the emphasis on capital projects, which he said often benefit contractors rather than citizens.

“Government focuses on capital projects all the time, which are not projects that can increase the GDP of the state because they mostly benefit contractors and a limited set of people. Projects that can elevate the problems of Nigerians fall under current expenditure. This means money spent daily to directly improve livelihoods, not just putting it in capital projects,” Olowu said.

On the current economic climate, he added, “As we speak, Nigerian governments at both federal and state levels are concentrating on winning elections rather than solving the economic problems Nigerians are facing at the moment.”

He then called on the federal government to act on recent demands by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

“Now that NLC has made a request, it’s important for the federal government to immediately give the labour union what they have requested for,” he said.