‘House of Representatives not for charlatans’

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and House of Representatives aspirant Misoau Opeyemi Aminu, has said that the Lower Chamber is not for charlatans.

He said: “We are getting it wrong by putting just anybody; it is the reasons for poor leadership and mismanagement of our resources”.

Aminu, an engineer from Ajura, Obafemi Owode Local Government, want to represent Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode/Odeda Constituency at the House of Representatives.

He said a lot needed to be done in education, industrialisation, research and development to improve household income and national development.

He said the economy is better in Europe and America because they do things differently, adding that China has been able to utilise its huge population by putting 776 million people to work and United State with 3.8 per cent unemployment rate, compared to 42 per cent unemployment among Nigerian youths.

Nigeria’s population is about 180 million with 60 per cent youthful demography but operating under capacity, the productivity is very low with attendant poverty.

According to him, it is easy to employ people, but our system makes it appear complex. “Let’s take a look at the financial system; within the financial basket are: big money banks, microfinance banks, few mortgage banks, few finance houses, merchant banks, venture capitalist, few of different financial institutions. The basket offers finances at exorbitant interest rates, Microfinance bank offer finances at higher rate than deposit money bank, which strangle businesses. The basket has no space for Small and Micro Enterprise? Ask small businesses where they source fund for development? They will tell you nowhere.”

He said microfinance banks and institutions were expected to serve that class of businesses, but that these institutions lend at very high interest rates because of their source of funds. “They source their funds way above the MPR of 12 or 14 per cent which makes it impossible to lend at 3 or 5 per cent required by growing businesses, rather lend at 5 or 10 per cent a month. How many of these small businesses can survive with 60 or 120 per cent an annum?  Therefore, the orientation of the microfinance banks is yet to be for those businesses.” That’s where we got it wrong.

He said as a legislator, he would bring this idea to the table and work with colleagues to “bring up a law that will create humongous opportunities that we are talking about. Just as laws are passed for creation of commissions, we can equally use our law to create the economy at the bottom of the pyramid.

“Coincidentally, my constituencies are the people at the bottom of the pyramid. I want to go in there work with people of like mind to make law that will make Nigeria work for everyone, create an economy that will aid national growth, reduce poverty, reduce our dependence on imported goods and reduce our dependence on oil revenue. Rather, encourage innovation, encourage production, and encourage industrialisation, which starts with cottage industries.”

He said there are entrepreneurs in the country whose success story have attested to the fact that people in the private sector can excel if given the right push through the creation of an enabling environment. “We need to be creative on the economic front. When we put such system in place, talents will be earnest, businesses will grow from scratch to medium size, employment will be generated, productivity will grow, inflation will drop, more goods will flow out and more money will flow into Nigeria, naira will appreciate, household income and consumption will grow.

Another project Aminu plans to do as a legislator “is to bring up appropriate awareness on quality education. The world thrives on digital and quality knowledge, high technology employs 45 per cent of work force in China, 28 per cent on secondary economy and 27 per cent on agriculture. He said: “We need to upscale our education system otherwise years down the road, the gap will keep widening with developed country. A notable sign in a nation moving in right direction is adequate attention on our teachers and schools at all level. When you put them at the back of the queue, what you get is a demoralised performance, but when you put them at the front of the pack what you get is quality education.” We should return the teachers to its pride place within the scheme of things, because they are the minds builders.

He said the nation needs to see the “students in secondary schools as the medium term goal of development and the pupils in primary school as the long term goal of our economy.”

He spoke on programmes for wealth creation in his constituency. “My empowerment programme will be spreading wealth and not liability, explaining that “our present representative is spreading liability. When you give car to somebody who does not have tangible job, you‘ve increase his liability and poverty, the little money he has that would taken care of his family, will now be spent on car while he lives a fake life in town.”

Aminu said he will spread wealth by “helping people with training, trade implement and fund to develop their businesses. When i add value to their businesses, this will transform to wealth in their lives. If their businesses do well, then they will be able to buy cars on their own.”

He said: “Ogun State has about 400,000 farmers, assuming 60,000 peasant farmers in my constituency. Four years farmer assisted plan will be put in place to help in our modest training, implements and fund. He promised to build community halls for farmers and monitor their progress regularly, stating that there are benefits they could reap with their nearness to Lagos.

“Our farmers have untapped opportunities with nearness to Lagos – we have comparative and competitive advantage of supplying food at cheaper prices.”

Aminu said tradesmen will be assisted, be it tailor, mechanics, electricians, welders, etc., adding that these artisans would be gainfully employed by working on the construction projects of the state government.

“I will sponsor a “Bill of patronage” in the State House of Assembly that will compel Ogun State contractors to hire our people at competitive wages. The bill will protect our contractors against unfair competition from foreign contractors, will reserve some works for the indigene and attach our contractors to foreign company as a junior partners on project to transfer knowledge and expertise.

The post ‘House of Representatives not for charlatans’ appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.