2023: I Can Help Nigeria Generate N33 Trillion Annually If Elected President – Okupe

A two-time presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, says he can help Nigeria generate $80 billion annually if elected president in the 2023 presidential election.

According to Okupe, Nigeria cannot solve the myriad of problems facing it without significantly increasing its national annual revenue base.

The country had generated N3.42 trillion in 2020, out of which N3.34 trillion went to debt servicing. Total expenditure for that year also stood at N10.01 trillion, according to BudgIT.

A report by the civic-tech non-profit organisation showed that the Federal Government’s payment of salaries, overhead and capital expenditure were largely financed with loans.

But Okupe said he could help the country increase its annual revenue from the current N3.42 trillion to N32.8 trillion, albeit without explaining how he intends to do so.

The Ogun-born politician, who was Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, made the claim in a Facebook post on Saturday.

He said most of the country’s problems are rooted in “abject poverty” and could only be addressed by significantly increasing its annual revenue and budget.

Okupe wrote, “…after healing and reuniting the Nation, my No 1 socio-economic priority is to fight POVERTY decisively everywhere in the country.

“With the current situation in the country today, the wanton destruction of lives and properties in the north make the establishment of a special Marshal Plan for the north a policy imperative in 2023 and beyond.

“I am not being sectional but if we fail to do this, it will perplexingly endanger prosperity anywhere else in the country.

“Secondly, the national budget in 1983 under President Shehu Shagari was about $25B with a population of 80million. In 2021 the Nigerian budget is $39B (at the official rate of exchange of dollar to naira), with a population of 210m.

“This means that while our national budget increased by 56% in 38yrs, our population grew disproportionately by 162.5%!!!

“So if we had a budget of $25B for 80m people in 1983, our national budget for 210 million people in 2021 should be a minimum of $63B.

“The reason for our pervasive poverty and uncontrollable borrowing is therefore from the above, self-evident.

“The solution is to widen and increase our national annual revenue base to no less than 70 – $80B. That is a 100% increase.
I know what to do to achieve this. I am Dr Doyin Okupe. I am running for President in 2023.”