Democracy Day: APC chieftain says democratic dividends not optimally delivered

Chief Hycienth Ngwu, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says that democratic dividends have not been delivered optimally to the people in the past 25 years of consistent democratic governance.

Ngwu, former Publicity Secretary of APC in South-East told newsmen in Enugu on Tuesday that optimal delivery goes beyond infrastructure development that people easily see but also include human capital development.

He spoke on the sidelines of the impact of democracy on Nigerians and envisioned the ruling party, APC, transformation through the Renewed Hope Agenda of Tinubu administration to meet the expectation of Nigerians.

Ngwu said that human capital development encompasses high per capita income, security, food security and other basic necessities of life for Nigerians beyond the usual road infrastructure seen daily.

According to him, from the time we moved from military rule to current democratic dispensation, human capital and capacity development issues such as security and food security has been in the decline.

“There should be a balance of physical infrastructures we are seeing today that should match per capita income and security of life and food for all Nigerians,” he said.

A foundation member of APC, Ngwu also called for resource allocation harmonization to check social imbalance and exclusion which had aggravated violence and crime in the society.

“When wealth is fairly distributed in all the sectors and in an inclusive manner, restiveness and even the current wage/salary disagreements will be reduced and envy and strive will be reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.

On reforms, the APC Chieftain hailed President Bola Tinubu’s doggedness in removing fuel subsidy, adding that “It remained the best decision taken by the government in recent time.”

He, however said that recent increase in electricity tariff; multiple taxes and levies from state and local governments has robbed and “short-changed” the people of the benefit they should enjoy from the gains of removal of fuel subsidy.

“There should be a gap or time lag to allow the fuel subsidy gains to sync with the people before these increases will be introduced and implemented,” he said.

He also tasked the government at all levels on farms and farmers security to ensure food security and abundant food, which would check the current high inflation on food stuff in the market.

“If insecurity in farms is not checked, it will lead to hunger, malnutrition and other negative health complications.”

“The government should fashion out short and long term strategies to tackle and stabilize all these imbalances as well as check the negative economy and production deficiencies,” he added.