Seek debt forgiveness, Afe Babalola advises Tinubu

Legal giant and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, and the Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye, have urged the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to take critical decisions immediately on assuming office to effect the desired changes Nigerians are yearning for.

While Babalola advised that the Tinubu administration should prioritise debt forgiveness for Nigeria from creditor countries and multilateral financial institutions, Ajakaye urged the incoming government to reduce the high cost of governance to free cash for development and other sundry needs.

The ABUAD founder, who spoke in Ado Ekiti during a lecture titled, “Smart Infrastructure: Catalyst for sustainable development,” and delivered by a Professor of Intelligent Infrastructure System at University of Manchester, Prof Bamidele Adebisi, said forgiveness or cancellation would help relieve Nigeria of humongous foreign debts.

He said, “Today, We are the worst debtors in the world. We owe trillions of dollars. We are borrowing more even when the current government has few days to go. And we learnt that our incoming President has gone to look for those who are coming to invest here.

“What I expect the incoming President to do is to learn from former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who spent the first two years of his administration going around to beg for forgiveness of our debts. Nobody is coming to invest here when you can’t even pay the interest due on the huge debt that we owe,” Babalola said.

The Catholic bishop, Ajakaye, who spoke in Ado Ekiti on Sunday during a Thanksgiving Service to mark World Communications Day, advised on the appointment of the right people, adding, “Tinubu must reduce the cost of governance and he must ensure that there are not abandoned projects. He must promote politics of engagement. He must ensure his ‘Renewed hope’ is meaningful and positive.”

The cleric, who lamented that public funds had been going down the drain through abandoned projects, duplication of political appointments, and execution of meaningless projects to siphon government money, said, “Tinubu should put a halt to all these and many more. It is painful when people are wasting tax payers’ money”.

In his lecture, Prof. Adebisi, stressed the importance of technology in all sectors, noting that technology had moved up the rung of the ladder to act as a catalyst for societal development.

He said, “Technology has become a game changer to address the challenges in all areas including agriculture, transport and food production.”