Member House of Representatives representing Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency, Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, has said that Nigeria is in serious need of leadership.
The lawmaker said this during an interactive session with the correspondents of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as the House passed the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
Hon. (Dr.) Adepoju said he has faith in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he will do well as president, asking for the support of Nigerians for the president to achieve optimally for the country.
“We are in a situation where we are in dire need of leadership and we have faith in our president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that he will do well, but at the same time, based on the level of decay that we have right now, we know it will take a lot of effort. All hands need to be on deck to make things work for this country. We are very excited about this opportunity to rewrite our stories as Nigerians through the budget, but until we start the implementation of this 2024 budget, I remain very cautiously optimistic, and the reasons are not far-fetched.
“I have a major concern about where we have pegged the dollar to Naira rate. Initially, we were told by December, 2023 the naira-to-dollar rate would be about N750 naira; that has not happened.
“If you look at what the projection says and where we are right now, if we can’t meet that, it means we will always be running at a deficit.
“For me, I want us to have a very realistic budget, a budget that will work for Nigeria and Nigerians, a budget that people will see and people will say, well, if well implemented, we should get great results,” Ibarapakan expressed.
The lawmaker also said that the primary assignment of the National Assembly is to put the country on the right track by making good laws for the country as well as carrying out oversight functions.
During the session, Hon. Adepoju also appreciated the leadership style of the Speaker of the House of Representative, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass, whom he described as a man who makes legislative assignments as easy as anything.
In his remarks, the lawmaker said that as citizens, Nigerians can’t continue to build castles in the air but must come together to create a pathway for a better and more prosperous nation.
