*As Winner of Best PhD Thesis Asks Osinbajo, Atiku, Wike, Tinubu Others Programme to Alleviate Poverty
A university don, Felix Ajiola has described the campaigns to rule Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari to mere business trips to the nation’s seat of power.
Ajiola also queried the mission of most of those parading themselves as presidential aspirants in the country ahead of 2023.
Prominent among those jostling to become Nigeria’s next President are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Lagos Bola Tinubu, formr vice presidential running mate, Peter Obi, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim and others.
Ajiola, History lecturer at the University of Lagos, took to his twitter account to raise question over how many are moving around the country without any clear-cut idea to take the poor masses out of poverty.
Poverty rate in Nigeria is at an alarming rate with the World Bank in its 2021 poverty statistics said about 91m Nigerians are in abject poverty out of the nearly 230 million population.
Ajiola, whose PhD thesis won the best thesis at the University of Lagos last year, expressed concerns that none of those jostling to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated open capacity to tackle poverty issues.
He tweeted, “Who among the presidential aspirants is concerned about the suffering of the poor?”
While saying that some of the presidential aspirants are on business trips to Aso Rock, Ajiola advised Nigerians to scrutinize those campaigning for presidency adding, “One may think that the present existential suffering of Nigerians and deplorable state of the nation would mark an era of great political consciousness. Nigerian electorate must discern those who have a vision and mission from those who are on a business trip to Aso Rock.”
Felix called the attention of those campaigning to be Nigeria’s next President to borrow a leaf from former politician and 32nd United States President, Franklin D. Roosevelt who in 1973 during his inaugural address, pointed out the issue directly and expressed concerns about the poor.
“And who among them can honestly, like Franklin D. Roosevelt did in his inaugural address, January 20, 1973: “I see one-third of the nation ill-housed, ill-clad & ill-nourished,”
So far, many Nigerians have signified their desires to succeed President Buhari when the nation goes to the poll next year.
Many are concerned that the economy of the country is in shambles calling for the next President to be grounded and committed to poverty alleviation.
Last year, Ajiola had won the $1000 prize for the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos (UNILAG), for the Rahamon Bello Best Thesis Award.