Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Dr Obadiah Mailafia, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Candidate has pledged to restore National Economic Development Plan if elected president. Saying that the culture of Economic Development Plan was abandoned in the 80’s.
He also said poor infrastructure which had resulted in high rate of unemployment had been responsible for poor development in the country.
“I am going to bring back the culture of economic development planning; Nigeria stopped its economic development plan around 1985 which was not properly implemented.
“I am going to pursue infrastructure development, there is no civilised country in the 21st century that does not have 24/7 power.
“When I am president next year the first thing I will do is to issue an executive order that all government buildings must have a solar panel on their roofs,” Mailafia said.
According to him, “I will bring experts to set up companies here, train our youths on the manufacturing, installation and maintenance of solar panels.”
He, however, said that the solution would not totally handle the numerous problems in the country but alleviate it by 50 per cent.
Mailafia further said that the country required a monitoring and evaluation agency within the heart of government to follow up on policies of government.
He added that ministers and heads of agencies of government were in the culture of making incessant policies because there was no evaluation.
“In government, we need a performance contract which will be signed by Ministers, Heads of Agencies of government.
“The contract will be printed and pasted behind their offices that anybody that is coming in will know the contract the official has to fulfill,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate also stressed the need to diversify the economy through industrialisation and technology, saying that oil revenue was no longer sustainable.
“Every 30 years the population of Nigeria doubles, by 2020, our population is expected to be 200 million and we are still trying to develop at this stage.
“If we don’t create jobs for our millions of youths, every year millions of youths are turned out from the tertiary institutions and they do not have anywhere to go.
“The only way we can do that is to industralise this country, embrace industralisation, technology and that is the way we can absorb these youths,” he said.