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| DAGFA tok-tok pesin Niyi Sodipo dey discuss di APC manifesto for Arise News Daybreak. Foto kredit: Arise News. |
One grup wey dey support Prezident Bola Tinubu don ask Naijiria pipul to give im ikonomi rifom more taim to improve di moni wey famili dem dey earn, even as di grup accept say plenty pipul still dey face hard taim.
Niyi Sodipo, di tok-tok pesin for Data Analytics Group for Asiwaju (DAGFA), make di appeal for Arise News Daybreak program. Di presenta dem challenge am on how di goment wan pay for im next set of promis and when di changes wey e dey defend go improve life for pipul wey dia moni small.
Sodipo argue say di polisi dem wey Tinubu introduce since 2023 don help di ikonomi stabilise. But e acknowledge say di goment still get wok to do before dat stability go turn to more biznis, employment and betta living kondishon.
E describe di ikonomi rifom as “a means to an end not the end itself”. For im argument, di figo dem no suppose be di final measure of success; di next task na to make di improvement reach biznis owner dem, woka dem and dia famili.
Di discussion follow di unveiling of di All Progressives Congress (APC) manifesto for di 2027 presidenshal ilekshon on Tuzde, 10 Novemba. Di pati present di document as im program for a possible sekond term from 2027 to 2031.
One major kweshton for di intaviu na whether di goment get enough moni to carry out di program while e still dey pay debt and meet oda spending obligations.
Di presenta dem point to first-quarter budget figo wey show say debt service take about 91 pesent of fedral revenue. Dem ask how di goment go fund divelopment alongside debt payments, regular running costs and di different budget periods wey dia implementation dey overlap.
According to BusinessDay analysis of di Budget Office first-quarter 2026 report, di fedral goment collect ₦5.08 trilyon between Januari and March against di ₦9.22 trilyon wey e target. Debt-service spending for di same period reach ₦4.63 trilyon.
Di quarterly report also record ₦1.69 trilyon in capital releases, although dat amount fall well below di projected allocation. Di revenue wey enter amount to about 55 pesent of di quarterly target.
Sodipo accept say debt-service costs need attention. But e argue say pipul suppose also examine wetin di goment dey use borrowed moni do.
E maintain say “debt is not a problem for us right now” and refer to di International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessment to defend im position.
Di IMF 2026 assessment rate Naijiria overall risk of sovereign stress as moderate. Di report still identify weak revenue collection and di risk of spending passing planned limits as concerns, and stress di need for stronger revenue, spending control and management of public finances.
Di mata of how goment figo take reach ordinary famili also run through di exchange. Di presenta dem ask Sodipo to name one rifom wey don directly benefit a low-income famili, apart from di Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Sodipo first mention petrol subsidy removal and wetin e describe as improved fuel availability. When di presenta dem question im claim about stable petrol prices, e shift di emphasis to di absence of scarcity as di main benefit wey e wan highlight.
E also mention goment payments to vulnerable Naijiria pipul. At di same taim, e warn say to put too much cash into circulation fit add to pressure on prices.
To explain how biznis fit carry di benefits reach famili dem, Sodipo use im own company as example. E tok say e continue to employ woka dem through di rifom period, and argue say biznis wey grow fit support household income through salaries.
Dat explanation bring anoda kweshton about di cost of borrowing. Di presenta dem ask how small biznis go expand when high interest rates dey make loan expensive.
Sodipo respond by pointing to foreign-exchange rifom, investor confidence and di possibility of financing from outside Naijiria. E argue say investors go find am easier to fund biznis if dem fit understand and predict how di foreign-exchange market dey work.
E also credit reduced dependence on imported petrol wit helping Naijiria external position. For food, e argue say stronger production inside di kontri suppose become anoda priority.
Sodipo accept say some Naijiria pipul never experience di benefits wey di goment dey describe. E maintain say sustained stability fit eventually help companies get finance, increase dia operations and employ more pipul.
For di poverty discussion, e cite di World Bank finding say poverty don stabilise. But e accept say for poverty to stop rising no be di same thing as for poverty to reduce.
Di World Bank October 2026 Nigeria Development Update report say di poverty rate stop rising for di first taim since 2019. Di bank still stress say faster growth, betta jobs, higher real incomes and improved public services dey necessary to raise living standards.
Di report put real ikonomi growth at 4.2 pesent for di first half of 2026. E also note say high prices still dey weaken wetin household moni fit buy.
Sodipo argue say fedral rifom alone no go complete di work. E ask Naijiria pipul to pay more attention to how state govno dem and local goment chairmen dey use di higher revenue wey dem dey receive.
According to am, those officials get dia own responsibility to provide services and support divelopment inside community dem. E maintain say di effort to create a stable ikonomi at fedral level need corresponding action for states and local goment eria dem.
Di World Bank October report also identify di quality of state spending as one factor wey go determine whether higher public revenue go produce betta infrastructure, education, healthcare and oda services. E call for stronger accountability and more effective use of di moni.
On prices, Sodipo defend di goment rekod and tok say di next program aim to bring infleshon down to eight pesent by 2031. E separately identify six pesent annual ikonomi growth as di goment target.
Di latest published figo for September put headline infleshon at 14.63 pesent, down from 15.39 pesent for August. Food infleshon stand at 19.59 pesent compared wit di same month one year earlier, according to di National Bureau of Statistics report wey Voice of Nigeria carry.
Di presenta dem question how changes to di statistical base year and di goods and services wey dey inside di infleshon basket affect comparisons wit older figo. Dem also ask whether di reported improvement reflect wetin pipul dey experience for dia daily life.
Sodipo reject di suggestion say statistical adjustments alone fit explain di gains. E point to tax receipts, non-oil exports and activity for di capital market, and argue say investors inside Naijiria account for plenty of di market activity.
Di presenta dem maintain say dia main concern na how national growth go improve purchasing power and living kondishon for ordinary Naijiria pipul.
Electricity and roads enter di discussion as part of wetin biznis and farming need to grow. Di presenta dem ask Sodipo about di proposed 10,000-megawatt electricity target and how e compare wit one higher figo wey dem cite from di earlier kempeyn.
For im response, Sodipo point to di wider role wey state goment dem now dey play for di power sector. E acknowledge say di goment fit improve im performance, while stressing say reliable electricity and roads dey necessary for biznis expansion and agricultural divelopment.
On farming, e call for more support through fertiliser and machines wey go help farmers produce. E also identify shortage of cold-storage facilities, food wey dey spoil afta harvest and poor links between farm eria dem and urban markets as problems wey need attention.
Sodipo argue say betta access roads and storage fit reduce those losses and help more food reach consumers. E tok say di goment need to make di changes visible for di daily life of Naijiria pipul.
Di 109-page APC document, titled From Reform to Prosperity Agenda 2027–2031, proposes helping to provide 200,000 affordable homes and raising available electricity generation towards 10,000 megawatts.
For security, di program include recruitment, training and deployment of 28,000 additional military personnel wey dem don already approve for recruitment. E also set out plans to train and deploy 50,000 police officers.
Di manifesto further target functional services for at least 90 pesent of primary healthcare centres by 2031. Di pati present di possible sekond term as di period to turn di ikonomi rifom into improvements wey famili dem fit experience for dia welfare.
Source: Prime 9ja Online Pidgin: Tinubu grup ask for more taim on rifom