*No, your anti-people, lack of governance acumen responsible, PDP counters
*I offered better policy options than Tinubu’s prescriptions – Atiku
By Chesa Chesa
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in last general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has insisted that he has offered better recommendations to get Nigeria out of economic woes than those being implemented by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement by Paul Ibeh, his spokesman, Atiku declared that in responding to his suggestions, president spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has failed to provide a credible defence of Tinubu’s failures in tackling the economic challenges facing the country.
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned what it described as vicious attempts by the Tinubu Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to politicize the protest by Nigerians against the current economic hardship and worsening insecurity in the country.
A press statement on Tuesday by Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, stressed that the challenges were occasioned by the anti-people policies and unprecedented corruption of the APC administration.
According to him: “The action of the APC in threatening Nigerians for exercising their democratic and Constitutional right to protest in the face of misrule, agonizing poverty, hunger, killings and other harrowing experiences under the Tinubu administration shows that the APC is insensitive and relishes the life-discounting situation in the country.
But, The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused opposition parties of instigating young people to protests in the streets of some major cities in Nigeria in order to portray administration of Bola Tinubu as under-performing.
This follows street demonstrations by angry women and youth in Minna, Niger State and Kano on Monday protesting the high cost of food and general inflation and suffering of the masses in the country owing to the government’s economic policies.
But, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, via a press statement dismissed the claims, saying that “the protests in Minna and Kano on Monday were the manifestation of “this devious and unpatriotic plot” to undermine the government.
According to him, “that the protests happened simultaneously in both cities is not coincidental. It bears a bold stamp of an orchestrated and coordinated effort to instigate unrest and undermine the government.
“This mercenary opposition tactic is a clear and present threat to public peace and national security.
“While we recognize the right of citizens to engage in peaceful protest, we urge our good people to be vigilant and not lend themselves to the treacherous attempt by the opposition to promote social strife by its incendiary rhetoric and manipulative plots.
“The President Bola Tinubu-led administration is solidly committed to doing everything in its power to mitigate the transient pains of critically important reforms that are crucial to economic recovery and sustainable prosperity for all Nigerians,” he stressed.
On his part, Ibe stressed that Onanuga instead resorted to insults and name-calling, rather than admitting that Bola Tinubu’s policies are creating excruciating pain and causing despair.
According to Ibe: ”
Did Atiku Abubakar offer any better policy options in his run for the presidency? Yes, he did. His living prescriptions contrast sharply with Bola Tinubu’s morbid policies. Atiku’s policy document, My Covenant With Nigerians, offers a clearly defined and robust roadmap for the socio-political and economic transformation of Nigeria.
“On the economy, the policy document outlines the challenges we face and our vision to get the economy on its feet and create prosperity.”
On the fact that all the major presidential candidates supported withdrawal of subsidy on petrol, Ibe replied: “But so, what? Even if all the major candidates agreed that the fuel subsidy regime must end and that the multiple exchange rates must be fixed, this would not translate into endorsing Bola Tinubu’s failures in implementation.
“The truth is that unlike Atiku, Bola Tinubu did not understand the reforms he embarked upon and had no idea what steps to take to mitigate their negative impact.
“As a leader with foresight, Atiku anticipated that the withdrawal of subsidy and the unification of exchange rates could, in the absence of fundamental interventions, impact negatively on micro and small enterprises in the informal sector.
“He anticipated that such policies could elevate the levels of vulnerability and deprivation of poor families. including the youth and adults with no incomes.
“The former Vice President, therefore, pledged to support Nigeria’s businesses by creating an Economic Stimulus Fund with an initial investment capacity of approximately US$10 billion to prioritize support to MSMEs across all the economic sectors, as they offer the greatest opportunities for achieving inclusive growth.
“The Fund was designed to make it easier for Nigeria’s 60 million micro and small enterprises to navigate the stormy seas in the aftermath of the withdrawal of subsidy on PMS.
“In contrast, Bola Tinubu offered a paltry N125 billion to help the MSMEs, which at today’s exchange rate is no more than US100 million. Of course, Bayo Onanuga is aware that the pledge is yet to be redeemed by the president.”
Hr continued: “Atiku also pledged to implement a robust social investment programme to support the poor and vulnerable with CCTs. Atiku’s support to the poor and vulnerable would include prioritized actions to address the challenges of displacement and the sufferings of IDPs across the country.
“In contrast, the funds for Tinubu’s CCT were cornered by his officials in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Alongside the Economic Stimulus Fund, Atiku pledged to launch a uniquely designed skills-to-job programme that would target all categories of youth, including graduates, early school leavers as well as the massive numbers of uneducated youth who are currently not in education, employment, or training.”
The spokesman further pointed out that as a leader of vision, Atiku was ready for the potential fallout of his policies whereas Bola Tinubu was clearly not ready.
“It was only after he unleashed his morbid reforms that he started groping in the dark, looking for solutions. We all recall that in October 2023, the Financial Times of London rebuked Bola Tinubu for announcing plans without ideas for how to implement them”, he stated.
