By Daniel Tyokua
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar Sunday asked President Bola Tinubu to emulate the Argentina President, Javier Milei’s governance reforms if he is desirous of moving Nigeria forward.
According to Atiku, Tinubu’s recourse to blaming the oppoaitiin politocal parties or his predecessors for the downturn in the economy is not only ridiculous but a display of poor knowledge of what to do.
Atiku said: “I ead a recent report in Reuters titled: Argentina’s market double down on Milei as investors ‘start to believe’. I took a keen interest in reading the report because I know quite well that Argentina and Nigeria closed the last quarter of the year 2023 on a similar path of economic downturn.
“In the case of Nigeria, a new government was installed at or about the middle of 2023, for Argentina, the new government came on board in December.
“Both leaders inherited a disoriented economy, but both applied different measures to recovery.
“President Javier Milei of Argentina was sworn into office on 10 December 2023. He inherited a worse condition than Nigeria’s.
“But what he did to return his country to a place where investors are ‘starting to believe’ should serve as a lesson to Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu.
“Nigeria is where we are today simply because of what Tinubu has done or did not do.
“His shifting the blame on the opposition and, even ridiculously, his predecessor is needless and myopic. Market forces don’t play politics. They respond to your actions and inactions”.
Atiku noted that President Milei kept his campaign promise to reposition the Argentine economy after years of slow growth; he started off cutting government expenditure by cutting the size of government and wastages; blocked stealing of government funds, and attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through concessions, tax holidays, and improved ease of doing business.
“President Milei flies regular business class for all his travels and does not offer the presidential fleet of Argentina for his son’s birthday. Likewise, there is no settlement for his hangers-on and political allies through unwieldy and burdensome appointments to public offices.
“Argentina’s Milei did not build the largest government like Tinubu did at a time when our economy was and still on its knees.
“The reforms so far implemented by the Tinubu administration are ad hoc and hurriedly put together without proper review. Ours is unlike Argentina’s Milei, who is sequencing his reforms.
“President Milei walks the talk. He makes sacrifices himself by giving up perks of office.
“It is not business-as-usual for the presidency while the people are called upon to make sacrifices.
“Conversely, Tinubu in Nigeria increased the number of ministers and ministries and is spending enormous resources renovating houses for himself, his deputy, and the first lady.
“That is nothing short of Nero playing fiddle while Rome is on fire!
“Unless, and until there are clear-cut policies and pathway to economic rejuvenation predicated on a leadership led sacrifice, there will be discontentment, especially among the youths, which may find expression in protests and for which it will be silly to continue to blame the opposition for”.
