…come to debate with your proofs on govt revenue.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor of Kwara state, Malam Rafiu Ajakaye has replied to statements credited to a former chieftain of the ruling APC in Kwara state. Chief Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo has been credited with statements on the revenue of Kwara state government.
In a statement sighted by Rextun City Updates, the CPS called out Chief Oyedepo to debate in which he is expected to back his claims with proofs.
See full excerpts of the statement below:
Good morning, sir
Thank you for accepting the offer. Interesting indeed!
If you read the statement well, however, you will see that this is a one-issue debate about your claim on revenue: the truth or falsity of it. Multi-issue debate goes nowhere. It is a trap not to get anywhere. 24 hours cannot resolve it. I think it is about breaking down your figures with the correct references and we do ours with same.
The statement, to be sure, has conceded to you your inalienable right to hold contrary opinions on govt’s priorities and others. That’s a democratic right. All citizens have such rights, not just you, sir.
As Deborah Stone said in her great work Policy Paradox, government’s expenditure and priorities are largely a political decision, depending on what a govt considers more important at a particular time based on its own insights. No one person can adjudge the priority of another to be wrong, esp when you are not in their shoes. It is about six and 9; it depends on who is facing which number. So, let’s not prolong the matter, sir. The govt, for instance, has increased the number of basic school teachers in Isin by 100%. That is a policy decision which is a tradeoff for something else that could have been done in the same sector. So, priorities differ. Our understanding also differs. And it is fine and democratic.
Your claim is that this state has gotten so and so amount between 2019 and 2021. The government is inviting you to just break it down to the public and we also break down ours. Simple.
Other debates go to no issue because you clearly cannot agree with the govt’s priorities, such as your claim that a govt has no business establishing a business (a very controversial claim in view of verifiable examples globally). The position you hold is not a universal truth, but you are entitled to hold such views. A govt is also entitled to hold a contrary view, esp given the realities of our environment. There is no ONE superior model of governance anywhere in the world. We have seen that in the Chinese model, as against what we see in many liberal democracies. No one size fits all anywhere. Prof Francis Fukuyama’s End of History is a typical example of how not to see the world in one prism, founded on one belief system. What’s my point? Asking for an open-ended debate on many issues (esp when you are not a candidate of any party) is a waste of time, a ploy to avoid the real issue: your claim of what the state has earned. We feel, based on verifiable data, that your claim is FALSE and unfounded, sir.
Thank you and God bless you, sir! 🙌
