Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria suffered major infrastructural deficits in the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rule.
He stated this on Friday in Abuja at the 2019 vice presidential debate organised by the Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) in collaboration with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and Civil Society Organisations.
Osinbajo added that corruption is the major cause of the country’s current challenges which must be tackled head-on.
On why Nigeria’s aggregate investment had not risen beyond 16 per cent in the last 10 years unlike South Africa and China, Osinbajo said “I think the common denominator between the two countries you mentioned is the strong infrastructure. Our nation in the past 16 years has suffered a major infrastructure deficit. So, we don’t have rails, roads. When we came into power in 2015, power was 4,000MW in 16 years.
“So, you need strong infrastructure. No one can argue about it. The second thing is you cannot have a strong economy if you allow the type of grand corruption that has taken place in Nigeria in the last 16 years.”
He said Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product had consistently gone up under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration which he added was building the country’s infrastructure, especially the road and rail sector.
While acknowledging issues of poverty in the county, Osinbajo said the administration’s social investment programmes were put in place to address poverty in the country.
He said the administration was investing heavily in power distribution to address the problem of electricity in the country
Vice presidential candidate of the PDP Peter Obi, however, said that job creation remains the key to addressing insecurity and other anti-social vices in the country.
He decried inequality, poverty and high crime rate in the country which he said was caused by unemployment.
Obi stressed that the country’s main problem is its economy which he said is under the purview of the vice president, adding that he would do all it takes to set the country`s economy on the right footing if his party is voted into office in 2019.
“The vice president has a role to build the economy and make the country work, fighting corruption is not a policy,” he said.
He assured that he would remain loyal to the president and Nigerians if elected, adding that he had never had issues working with people.
