The All Progressives Congress (APC) liability candidate for the Edo State gubernatorial election slated for September 21st, Monday Okpebholo has been burying his head in the sand like the ostrich. At every turn of his campaign across the 18 local government areas of the state, he has been pretending not to know that Edo voters in particular and Nigerians in general are going through turbulent economic hardship.
As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Okpebholo, representing Edo Central as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Procurement, he has not made any meaningful contributions to stabilize the growth slump through any known legislation or help to curtail unbridled corruption that has been witnessed through over invoicing and executive recklessness, especially in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
Okpebholo is one of the senators who has been applauding President Tinubu’s antediluvian economic policies by urging Nigerians to bear the pains of his government’s reform, while the President engaged in outright profligacy. With his previous statement that Nigerians should be kind to President Tinubu’s draconian policies that plunged Nigerians into unfathomable poverty, Senator Okpebholo has demonstrated that he is an overly devoted APC apparatchik who follows the dictates of his political party rules and procedures without his individual creativity or initiative.
Okpebholo’s conformity, rigidity, and lack of original thought as a yes-man politician who prioritizes loyalty to APC over independent thinking or innovation will be his undoing in this election Since the assumption of office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vigorously enacted anti-people policies on the cusp of a fragile country on the brink of collapse. His unfortunate “fuel subsidy is gone” gambit, and the incessant fuel hikes thereafter have increased the cost of living.
The constant fuel hikes have led to a significant decline in the standard of living as Nigerians struggle to afford basic necessities and unremitting hardship. The ill-thought out policy has contributed to soaring inflation rates, eroding the purchasing power of citizens. This has led to increased costs of doing business, resulting from higher fuel prices, job losses, and business closures. The policy has disproportionately affected the poor and vulnerable, exacerbating poverty levels across the board.
Besides, higher fuel prices have led to increased transportation costs, making it difficult for people to commute to work, school, or access essential services. Agricultural production and transportation of produce are not left out, leading to food shortages and increased prices. A few weeks ago, the effects of the policy led to widespread protests and social unrest as Nigerians expressed frustration with the government’s unemphatic agenda. Another problem is overreliance on fossil fuels, and the subsequent price hikes have discouraged the adoption of cleaner energy sources, exacerbating environmental pollution.
The silence of Okpebholo in his political party’s role in the pauperization of Edo and Nigerian masses is understandable. He has neither utilized his position as the Senate Committee Chairman on Procurement to right the wrongs in the corrupt system nor used his campaign platforms to denounce President Tinubu’s policies to empathize with Edo people over the tragic blundering of the President.
I have repeatedly offered solutions to the nation’s economic turmoil, which Okpebholo is expected to be addressing in this campaign if illiteracy was not his problem. Namely that the economy should be diversified; investments in infrastructure, promoting entrepreneurship, fiscal discipline, implementing prudent fiscal policies, reducing corruption, and ensuring transparency in government spending. My constant advocacy in this regard also includes human capital development, encouraging foreign investment, addressing corruption, improving governance, and supporting agriculture, as well as developing a clear economic vision and investing in education, healthcare, and skills training to enhance productivity and competitiveness.
Voters in Edo State would want to hear Senator Monday Okpebholo speak directly to the issue of recurrent fuel price hikes as they approach the poll and other troubling economic crises that have reduced them to subhumans before September 21st, 2024. Without that, Edo people seemed determined to silence him at the poll.
● Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com.
