Tinubu’s reforms are like Lee Kuan Yew’s – Sunday Dare. As he refutes “cabal” claim
Amidst ongoing hardship in Nigeria and claims buzzing from various quarters that President Bola Tinubu is not in control of the administration of the country, and thereby the affairs of the country are in the hands of “Aso Rock Cabal.”
In reaction, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President Tinubu on Communication and Orientation, has likened the President’s economic approach and reforms to that of the Singapore’s transformative and promising policies under leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s founding father.
He then rebuffed and swayed the mongered rumours of cabal in Tinubu’s administration, noting that President Bola Tinubu is fully in control of the administration of the country.
This assertion was made on Sunday during Politics on Sunday programme on TVC. He cited that the three major decision s made by Yew appeared contentious which adversely, eventually ameliorated the standard of living of the Singaporeans.
Lee Kuan Yew, who served as the first Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, is the longest-serving Prime Minister of the country. His lengthiest tenure in the country’s history transformed Singapore from a compact, resource-deficient British colony with low rate of literacy into the most successful country in Southeast Asia.
Under Yew’s administration, Singapore witnessed a robust economy with barely highest GDP per capita figures in Asia as of that time.
The former Minister of Sports indicated that the time for all Nigerians to admit reality is here, pointing that resources and revenue are diminishing while the population of the country profusely increasing.
In his statement, he noted that President Tinubu has come to transform the country and change the narratives.
He said: “We have a lot of leakages in our system. And like I said, it must come to a time when you will need a leader to emerge.
“Let me give you Lee Kuan Yew’s example, from 1953 to 1990. His story is well-told. When he came in, he took three major decisions that became extremely contentious, yet he stood his ground all through, working with the people, and not explaining, but also making sure that were improvements in the quality of life.
“First, he said let’s have English language as a unifier language.” He was attacked all through. Second, he said, pay civil servants, public servants, massive salaries which was very important. The third thing he did was to ask that they bring the best people, experts from anywhere around the world, the best expert in energy, power, in education to build the backbone infrastructure needed for Singapore’s development.
“Those three decisions were so contentious, but he stayed the course. This president will stay the course because he has seen the data, and he knows that what Nigeria needs now is fixing. I’m sure Nigerians will come to terms with this development and, in no distant future, will start to see the impact. Already, we’re seeing it. You look at the CNG.
“You look at NELFUND; it’s extremely successful. You look at credit cards; as it is, more than 11,000 civil servants have gotten their money on the lowest interest rate you can ever get, four per cent. This president is at work for this country. This president deals with statistics and data but also understands that, to some extent, there are certain decisions that have to be taken now; if not, this country will suffer for it.”
While clearing the issue of cabal, Dare pointed that the cabal in current administration are just a few people whom the President meets daily to discuss national issues.
“I think we’ve become so comfortable with the idea of the cabal, and you must understand how the idea of the Cabal, the people they call the Cabal, are the people that are holding the key sectors of the economy.
“These are people who are advisors, who must advise the President on trends, who must put critical data in front of him, and they have access to him. How does access turn you into a member of the cabal? The Minister of Finance, for instance, sees him (Tinubu) on a constant basis to show him all the indicators so that they can see it, they must have constant meetings.
“So what is happening is that this idea of cabal has a negative connotation that we entrench, I think that notion should change, because any government you have 5 to 7 people who are holding key positions and who must brief the President on a constant basis, that access is what people think makes them a cabal.
“The President is 100 per cent in charge and he has always been from day one, and he has shown it when the CBN cyber-security tax came up, the president canceled it because he dealt with what the facts are.
Clarifying issues surrounding tax reform bill submitted to the National Assembly, Mr. Dare said that the President had taken a bold step and acted within the confine of the law by allowing the legislature to perform its own function.
He disclosed that the tax reform bill will bring about major reforms in various sectors of the country when signed into law. He noted that many developed countries today had gone through tough times, like Nigeria is already going through, to be where they are today.
“I think it’s absolutely important, because when you look at the four bills right now, at the National Assembly, and they are just bills, they’re not acts yet, that means there’s still an opening to have conversations around the bills, take out some things, readjust certain elements of it, and bring it back.
“I think it’s a remarkable bill and it’s critical for the reforms, the larger reforms in various sectors that the President is working on. When you look at the Nigerian tax bill, the overall bill. You look at the joint tax bill, you look at that for revenue, then you look at the tax administration.
“The President’s preference is to have a de jure approach to it, not a de facto, because even if you do it outside of the legislature, then he must have contravened Nigeria’s constitution. So being a president that understands the law and the Constitution says it’s already there, let’s have the representatives of the people from across the country, let them deliberate on it.
Conclusively, “The people, the governors, Nigerians, can send in whatever comments they have, whatever deviation they have, and then that can be processed, I think that is the best way.
“I think it’s the right way to go, because any other path will bring a crisis, when you look at the tax very well, it targets posterity, not poverty. Look at the revenue tax, for instance, you can keep 100% of the taxes within your domain, that brings about control of your taxes, but also a level of responsibility at the level of state,” he said.
Tinubu’s Reforms Are Like Lee Kuan Yew’s – Sunday Dare. Tinubu’s Reforms Are Like Lee Kuan Yew’s – Sunday Dare