Corruption, economy get priority at vice presidential candidates’ debate

   THE countries teething problems of corruption, unemployment, declining value of the naira came to the for on Sunday in Abuja as some vice presidential candidates took part in a debate in Abuja.

    Those, who participated at the debate include the vice presidential candidates of Action Alliance (AA), Ishaka Paul; Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Ojengbede Oluremi Farida; Hope Democratic Party (HDP), HarunaYahaya Shaba and Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Arabamhen Mary.

     In the opinion of the vice presidential candidate of the AA, Ishaka Paul, corruption is better tackled by establishing special courts to try persons suspected to have indulged in corrupt practices.

    But the ACPN candidate, Farida believed that the crusade against corruption should start from serious attitudinal change.  She said if her party was voted into power, the issue of persons living too high above their means would be checked.

    For the candidate of the HDP, Haruna Shaba, the problem would be better solved when persons known to have exhibited and lived life of corruption were stopped from being elected into public offices.

   All the candidates, however, agreed that the diversification of the economy had become imperative.

Also participating later in the debate are vice presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obianuju Murphy Uzohue, who believed that integrity was all that was needed in determining the leadership of Nigeria.

  She said the power sector would get the attention of her government while equally paying attention to vocational education development.

   According to her, Nigeria has got to swallow her pride and plead with other countries to assist her in fighting terrorism. Uzohue believed that harmonising the country’s ‎differences in religion, ethnicity and culture would attract peaceful co-existence.

    The National Conscience Party (NCP) candidate, Ibrahim Mohammed, said the complete eradication of Poverty was his main mission‎. He said his party would adopt a document on the accelerated economic development agenda.

    United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate, Haruna Adamu listed insecurity, agriculture and education as his areas of focus. He promised to reach out to the Boko Haram sect to find out and address it’s problems with a view to addressing insecurity.

   Adamu listed greed, corruption and insecurity as the bane of Nigeria’s development adding that justice was lacking in Nigeria.He advocated instant death as the only punishment that could be efficient for corruption. 

  “I know that we are practising democracy, but in Nigeria, people are very stubborn. Just use one or two people as example. Whenever anybody is caught siphoning our money, just finish him. That way, corruption will go.” Adamu declared.