Oyo SDP Guber Candidate, Lana, Berates Govs for Producing Poor Citizens

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo state, Mr. Michael Lana, has come hard on governors in the country, accusing them of producing poor citizens rather than prosperous ones. 

The former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice said this after he was conferred with the Role Model Award, by the Rotary Club of Ibadan-Oritamefa. 

He said there is the need to change from the present system that lacks ideology which is full of misplaced priorities, insisting that the time has come to go back to the old principle of ideology where governance will be felt in every household. 

On how he joined partisan politics, he explained that people whom he has helped as a lawyer were the ones that prevailed on him to join the gubernatorial contest, adding that he joined the gubernatorial race ahead of the 2023 elections to heed the calls of Nigerians who got succour from him through his legal profession. 

According to him, “So many organisations, so many groups and individuals that I have helped through the cause of my career as a lawyer that I have handled cases for pro-bono are the ones that came to me and say that they were not satisfied with what is going on in Oyo State and they want somebody like me who has the passion for the people to come out and lead the people into another level of governance. 

“Because, what we have now is not governance, it is just mismanagement of state resources. What we have since 2004/2005 has been a mis-direction of priorities. They will leave what will benefit the people and spend substantial amount of state funds to do what people don’t need. 

“That is why I choose SDP because it is more or less an offshot of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) by late Obafemi Awolowo. Those who formed the bedrock of UPN are people from UPN. And the new generation can still see what Awolowo has done in 1959, in 1958. But, can we see what the governors did in the last six to seven years. What has been the effect of the expenditure of the state resources on the ordinary people. 

“We are only producing more poor and poor people instead of prosperous citizens. 

“I have handled so many cases, people that were being oppressed by the government. These are what I stand for and that is why they called me people’s lawyer. I tried to ensure that every oppressed people gets justice especially from the court. That is what I stand for and that is why they are honouring me today.”