Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has urged the federal government of Nigeria to implement a tax policy targeting affluent Nigerians in order to facilitate the provision of affordable electricity for the underprivileged in the society.
Speaking during the commissioning of a water project donated to the Sabo Layi Community along the Bauchi-Ningi Road on Sunday, Obi Said, “The solution is very simple (referring to electricity tariff hike), you can increase the tariff for those in areas where they can afford it. We need to do a lot in the area of power generation, because it has taken so long. But we have to put into consideration that majority of Nigerians are suffering.
“So we need to support people in those areas to be able to live and be able to produce something. When they start to produce something, we are pushing them out of poverty and that’s where my theory of moving from consumption to production comes in.
“We can’t tax people first, we need to support small businesses and ensure that this tariff is not spread across the same level –for the big and for the small,” he said.
Addressing speculations regarding his political affiliation, Obi said, “The Labour Party is not the problem of Nigeria. The problem of Nigeria is beyond the Labour Party, so my focus is on Nigeria. My promise is a new Nigeria, and that new Nigeria is where I’m focused and we must remain focused on it.”
“I am not desperate to be president; I am desperate to see Nigeria working for poor people. The poor people in this country are suffering a lot, and I am urging all leaders, in and out of office, to listen and work with them,”.
