Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party, Mr. Adewole Adebayo at the weekend promised that his administration would provide 400,000 houses in four years if eventually elected the president of Nigeria.
Adewole, founder of KAFTAN TV, lamented the level of underdevelopment in the north, noting that he would not just build the gap between the north and south, but would make the north catch up the 21st century.
He made the remarks at a session with journalists yesterday, promising to focus on ensuring that the rights of Nigerians, as listed in chapter two of the constitution, are protected.
He said: “What we have as a plan is that we want to invest in the items that are listed in the chapter two of the constitution. We will provide adequate nutrition for all Nigerians; we’ll provide adequate medical care for all Nigerians.
“We will provide adequate education and housing for all Nigerians. We have promised in SDP to build 100,000 housing units in every state, every year, for the first four years.
“All of these things will create employment. We had a 30 million job plan, which many said was too ambitious. We went back to do an analysis and we discovered that it is absolutely realistic.”
Reacting to a report in which the World Bank said it will take the north 40 years to meet up with the south,
Adebayo said his goal “is that all parts of the country meet up with 21st century technological advancement.
“My aim is not for the north to catch up with the south. My aim is for the north and south to catch up with the 21st century.
“That analysis is not useful to us because even the south that has comparative advantage is awash with poverty, underdevelopment, and insecurity.
“What I want is to let the north catch up with the rest of the world, not just catch up with the south. The idea is not the relativity of poverty — the north is poor, the south is poor. Maybe the north is a little poorer.”
