For the country to realize its quest to eradicate extreme poverty, efforts must be geared towards improving income.
‘’When households are already struggling with high food prices, transportation costs, energy costs, school fees and medical expenses, imposing additional burdens without corresponding improvements in income, productivity and public services can deepen economic hardship’’.
This was the submission of the African Democratic Congress (NDC), Delta South Senatorial Candidate, Dr. Austin Orette, on Sunday in Warri.
‘’A government should not simply ask: “How much more can we collect?” It should also ask: “How much more can Nigerians realistically carry? The objective should be to broaden economic activity, create jobs, encourage enterprise, increase productivity and expand the tax base—not simply to squeeze an already struggling population’’.
Addressing party faithful on government policies, economic indicators and his plans for the good people of Delta South Senatorial District,, Orette urged the federal government to move from economic coercion to economic consultation; from policy imposition to policy engagement; from punishment to protection; and from abstract statistics to measurable improvement in the lives of citizens.
‘’We must reject what can only be described as malnourished economic thinking—the belief that increasing taxes, charges and financial burdens automatically amount to sound economic management. Taxation has a legitimate place in every functioning economy. But taxation must be considered alongside the ability of citizens and businesses to pay. A productive economy produces more taxpayers. A distressed economy produces more desperation. There is perhaps no clearer example of a system producing devastating consequences than Nigeria’s healthcare financing’’.
Orette said he joined the Delta South senatorial race in pursuit of a a legislative agenda centred on healthcare, accountability, economic opportunity, human development and effective representation.
‘’The question before Delta South in 2027 should not simply be: “Who wants to become a Senator?” The deeper question is: “Who understands what is happening to our people, and what will that person do with the legislative power of the Senate? The answer is clear. I want to take the realities of our communities into the National Assembly. I want to be the voice of Delta South in debates about healthcare, energy, economic opportunity, infrastructure and national development. I want our people to know that their representative is not merely occupying a seat in Abuja but is actively engaging with the policies that shape their lives’’.
The family medicine expert canvassed politics and campaigns based on issues.
‘’Nigeria does not lack intelligent people. Nigeria does not lack resources. Nigeria does not lack ideas. What we must strengthen is leadership that converts knowledge into action and public office into measurable service.
He promised to provide a decisive and courageous leadership that will ensure the utilization of the country’s enormous resources for the people’s benefit.
‘’2027 will provide another opportunity for the people of Delta South to determine the kind of representation they want. For me, this is not simply about winning an election. It is about what happens after the election. It is about whether the Senate can become an instrument for demanding better outcomes for ordinary Nigerians. It is about whether our healthcare system can protect families rather than financially destroy them. It is about whether economic policies can be examined not only for their intentions but for their consequences. It is about whether economic reforms can be implemented with sufficient cushioning for those most vulnerable to their immediate effects. And it is about whether Delta South can have a stronger, more deliberate voice at the centre of national decision-making’’.
In his view, Nigerians, particularly the good people of Delta South, deserve governance that understands consequences, economic policies that protect human dignity, healthcare that does not turn sickness into poverty, leadership that listens before it acts and measures the human cost of every major decision.
‘I seek the mandate of our people not simply to occupy a political office, but to represent, question, legislate and advocate. The people of Delta South deserve more than promises.
‘’Nigerians deserve governance that understands consequences. Nigeria must not be saved from Nigerians. Nigeria must be saved by empowering Nigerians. And that is the kind of politics I intend to pursue’’
