ViG: Imperative Of Reducing Cost Of Governance

 By Ayo Oyoze Baje

“The only way out of the valley is uphill”
 –Anonymous
If there is one persisting, yet critical issue of national importance that must be frontally tackled by the incoming administration, after May 29, 2023 it has to be that of drastically reducing the huge burden of the cost of governance. So debilitating it has become that it is weighing down the steps towards economic recovery. Though the cost of governance is incurred by the government in the course of providing goods and services to the citizenry, the statistics on its effects on the national economy and the human development index are humongous and unsustainable.

*President Buhari 

For instance, as at April 2023 it was revealed that Nigeria reportedly spends 96.3 percent of its revenue on debt servicing! That is up from 83.2 per cent in 2021. And the World Bank has raised a timely warning on how the fiscal deficit has worsened the nation’s public debt stock. But that is just part of the scary figures on our worsening economic paradigm.

Justice For Abians: Let Our Votes Count For Once!

By Nnaemeka Oruh

The Independent National Electoral Commission's decision to declare the Abia State gubernatorial elections inconclusive comes as temporary respite to many aggrieved Abians. These are people who are well aware that their choice was being taken away from them, and thus were amazed at the report that the PDP's Okezie Ikpeazu was leading APGA's Alex Otti in the elections. 

*Gov Orji

Abians, as is evident from the comments made and actions being taken by them are tired of the ignominious hegemony Governor Theodore Orji and his family were inflicting on Abians. Here is a family, whose son allegedly prances around the state as the “Executive Governor,” intimidating people. This was a man whom Abians elected believing that as one of their own (he was actually projected as almost as indigent as the people), he would bring them a breath of fresh air. But contrary to all the high hopes he gave Abians, T.A Orji saw the state as a personal investment and went ahead to allegedly shamelessly and openly enrich himself to the detriment of the state.