Dogara, Onyema lament poverty, lack of funds for businesses

Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and representative of Ogbaru Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Chukwuka Onyema yesterday lamented the level of poverty in the country.

They also decried dearth of funds for the manufacturing sector and other businesses, especially in the South East geopolitical zone.

Dogara and Onyema, who are stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the economic hardship of the last three years, insisting that the Federal Government has set the country 10 years backward.

Speaking at a PDP rally to flag off Onyema’s re-election campaign at Central School, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, he urged the electorate to vote for PDP candidates in the area for quality representation and greater development of Ogbaru.

He blamed the country’s economic woes on APC, lamenting that there is hunger, suffering and insecurity across the land, a situation he said, was affecting all geo-political zones of Nigeria.

Speaking, Dogara said, “Importers, businessmen and traders, among others in the South East know how difficult they toil to access funds, while manufacturers and even market women are all cash-strapped.

“Parents can’t pay their children’s education bills, buy books and other things today. Everybody is suffering and dying in this APC-led government.”

He said students of tertiary institution are lamenting their continued stay at home because lecturers are on strike due to lack of sensitive leadership to fund education.

“The youth in universities can’t get enough money from their parents to eat and buy study materials,” he said, adding that the only solution was to vote for PDP at all levels.

Meanwhile, a PDP chieftain in Akwa Ibom State, Air-Commodore Idongesit Nkanga yesterday said it was worrisome that the APC government failed to live up to expectations of Nigerians in the last three and half years.

He made this assertion while speaking with journalists in Uyo.

Director General of Divine Mandate Campaign Organisation, working for Governor Udom Emmanuel’s reelection, said his stance stemmed from claims by some APC stakeholders that Emmanuel underperformed in his first term.

“Their claim is born out of ignorance and mischief. And people who should be looked at as leaders should stay away from misdirecting our people because if you misinform people knowingly, you carry a curse,” he stated.