A random poll conducted by CHECKPOINTCHARLEY showed that the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi, won Friday’s vice presidential debate held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Mr. Obi had debated vice president Yemi Osinbajo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ganiyu Galadima of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Khadija Abdullahi-Iya of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN); and Umma Getso of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
The PDP Vice Presidential candidate criticised the President Muhammadu Buhari government’s dependence on oil subsidy, saying prices would come down if subsidy was done away with.
He said, “What we are subsiding today is inefficiency. If you get it right, the prices still come down. There is no way a country can have a budget of N340bn for health, which translates to N5 a day for (each of) its citizens, and then pay a trillion for subsidy.
“There is no way you can have an education budget, which is the most critical component of the development at over N400bn and you’re paying subsidy of a trillion. It is a waste. You need to reverse it because you’re not dealing with the engine that will drive your economy tomorrow.”
Mr. Obi explained that everybody knows that a petroleum-driven economy is a baggage economy, warning that at a time people were developing a new economy, the current Buhari administration is not paying attention.
He added, “Why are you actually subsiding? Nigeria has one of the lowest car ownerships in the world. It is 10 (cars) per 1,000 (citizens).
“So, we have only two million vehicles and you’re paying almost a trillion when you have 87 million people that are poor. You can’t do that. You need to reverse it and, I can tell you, if you do the right things, the price will come down.
“You are just paying for the delay in importation, the number of time cargos stay in the ports and so on. We can’t continue to pay for inefficiency in this country. I can tell that if you can remove it and do the right things, the price of petroleum will come down.”
Vice-President Osinbajo blamed the PDP for Nigeria’s weak economy.
“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.”
Mr. Osinbajo noted that corruption was the major cause of the country`s current challenges and must be tackled head-on.
He claimed that the country`s Gross Domestic Product had consistently risen under the APC-led administration which he added was building the country`s infrastructure, especially the road and rail sector.
The Vice President acknowledged growing poverty in the county, but said the administration’s social investment programmes were put in place to address poverty in the country.
However, Mr. Obi disagreed, saying that job creation remained the key to address 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.
According to him, Nigeria`s main problem remained its economy which he said was under the purview of the Vice President.
He promised that if his party is voted into office in 2019, he will do all it takes to fix the economy.
“The vice president has a role to build the economy and make the country work, fighting corruption is not a policy,” he said.
Most of the people spoken to by CHECKPOINTCHARLEY said that Obi came across as more competent, trustworthy and master of what he was saying, especially as it relates to the economy.
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