Atiku, Not Tinubu Responsible for Increase in Lagos State IGR, Says PDP Chieftain
- Claims made by Tinubu and the APC that Tinubu single-handedly raised Lagos IGR have been debunked by a PDP chieftain
- According to the opposition party chieftain, Kunle Oshobi, Atiku, PDP presidential candidate should be the one to be commended
- He stated that at the time Tinubu was governor, Atiku was the chairman of the National Economic Council as the vice president
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Lagos - Kunle Oshobi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, has declared that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP and not Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is responsible for the increase in the state's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Oshobi claimed in an article he authored and seen by Legit.ng on Sunday, December 18.
Source: Twitter
According to him, the claims by Tinubu and his associates that the IGR of the state increased from N600 million monthly in 1999 when he became governor to N6 billion monthly by the end of his tenure in 2007 is false.
He said:
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“While it's true that the IGR did increase, the IGR in 1999 was actually N1 billion a month, contrary to the claims of Chief Tinubu and the increase in IGR had little to do with his efforts.
“Rather Lagos state being the commercial nerve center of the country was benefiting from the rapid economic growth being enjoyed under the Obasanjo/Atiku led PDP administration of the time in which Atiku was firmly in charge of the economy.
“The point to note is that over 70% of IGR in Lagos is from the proceeds of income tax of workers resident in the state and it was the increased employment rate based on the economic policies of the Obasanjo/Atiku administration that was directly responsible for the increase in IGR.
“With the return to democracy in 1999 and the economy with a GDP growth rate of just 0.58% was left in ruins after several years of military mis-rule.”
Oshobi noted that fixing the economy was a priority of the Obasanjo administration, arguing that Atiku was in charge when the administration embarked on an elaborate reform programmes that brought about economic prosperity.
He said with the phenomenal economic growth enjoyed under that dispensation came millions of jobs that were created across the country and Lagos being the commercial capital of the country became the chief beneficiary of the jobs created.
He added:
“It is, therefore, laughable today that Bola Ahmed Tinubu who enjoys claiming credit for the increasing the IGR of Lagos and uses the claim as a means of propaganda to promote himself for the presidential race is using the achievements of his main rival in the race to campaign.
“It was the Alhaji Atiku Abubakar led economic team that was responsible for implementing the economic policies that stimulated the economic growth which resulted in the rapid increase in Lagos state IGR.
“Tinubu should be grateful to the Obasanjo/Atiku administration for the impact that their economic policies had on the IGR of Lagos state and learn from them about how to grow the economy.
“A policy of recruiting 50 million youths into the army and feeding them with agbado and cassava is certainly not how to grow the economy.”
2023: ADC lists three leaders who built mega Lagos, leaves out Tinubu
On its part, the Lagos chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has claimed that Tinubu was not responsible for making the state a mega city.
During one of its presidential campaign rallies, the APC claimed that Tinubu masterminded Lagos's development as governor from 1999 to 2007.
Debunking the claims, the Lagos state chairman of the ADC, George Ashiru, stated that Lagos was built by former governor Lateef Jakande, famously known as 'Baba Kekere' and former military administrators – General Mobolaji Johnson and Brigadier Buba Marwa.
2023: I thank God I am not Tinubu's running mate, says Dogara
Meanwhile, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, has declared that he is grateful he is not Tinubu's running mate in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election.
Dogara made the comment during an interaction with journalists in Bauchi while reacting to a question that he is not supporting the APC presidential candidate because he was not chosen as the vice presidential candidate of the ruling party.
He said:
“I am more than grateful to God that it didn't happen and so many friends and well wishers have also said to me they are thanking God daily that I am not on that ticket granted what they now see and know about the candidate.”
Source: Legit.ng
