Th e verbal tirade, ignited last weekend by former President Goodluck By Emeka Nze Abuja Jonathan, against the governing All Progressives Congress, yesterday deepened as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party asked the APC-led federal convention, slammed the Muhammadu Buhari-led government, alleging that the latter’s administration had, among others, not improved on the Transparent International Index on anti-graft, achieved by his administration.
What APC said Abuja market shut down amid clashes over Buhari’s absence Attempt by protesters at the popular Wuse Market in Abuja to urge President Muhammadu Buhari return to Nigeria or resign, yesterday, resulted in the breakout of an inter-tribal clash. Earlier in the day, members of the movement, #ResumeOrResign, led by popular musician, Charles Oputa, popularly called Charly Boy, were attacked at the market by supporters of the ailing president. projectiles at one another, while others scampered for safety.
‘How it happened’ “What happened is that Ribadu raises alarm over ‘plot to scuttle anti-graft war’ resulted in the breakout of an inter-tribal clash in the market, which caused chaos and forced the police to close the market. When our reporters visited, traders were forced out of the market by security operatives, with the entrance heavily guarded by the Police. Th e chaos, however, continued on the streets outside the market, as people were seen hurling stones and other PAGE 6 government to come up with visible achievements it has recorded since coming to power in 2015. Jonathan, had at the PDP non-elective Th e accusation sparked off a row of reactions from the trios of APC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji
Abdullahi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, and the DircetorGeneral, Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, who in separate statements, slammed Jonathan for allegedly allowing corruption to fester under his watch. Specifi cally, the Presidency said the current administration inherited a battered economy bequeathed to Nigerians by the PDP-led government in 2015.
PDP counters But countering yesterday, the opposition party rose in defence of its ‘feats’ since it midwifed the return of democracy in 1999 till 2015, and concluded that there are no indices anywhere in Nigeria and in the world, to indicate that the current administration is performing better than any PDP administration since 1999. Th e party made the position known in a statement by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja. PDP said: “It is our fi rm belief that these statements were borne out of ignorance, lacking in depth and are devoid of the sort of critical thinking that one would expect from highly placed government offi cials. However, these offi cials seem bent on continuing what has become an offi cial position of the ruling party to reduce commentary on public issues, and indeed the art of governance to comedy.
“It is shameful and embarrassing that having been in power for two and a half years, the ruling party is unable to point to cogent, convincing and datadriven achievements. Instead, it has spent the bulk of its time designing and implementing a communication strategy around massive propaganda, half truths and outright falsehood in an attempt to continually deceive the Nigerian people. “For the sake of emphasis, we reiterate our position that the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan performed well during its term in offi ce. Th ere are no indices anywhere in Nigeria, or indeed in the world, by which the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari can be measured as performing better than any PDP administration since 1999.” PDP governments’ ‘achievements’ Adeyeye, also reeled out what he called the PDP-led government’s achievements.
“As at May 29, 2015, Nigeria was the largest economy in Africa valued at over $500billion. A combination of the incoherent policies and incompetence of the ruling party, have signifi cantly shrunk the size of the Nigerian economy since the Inception of the current administration. “As at May 29, 2015, Nigeria was the No, 1 Destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa. Up to that point, investors responded to the policies designed and implemented by the Jonathan Administration by investing billions of Dollars in the Nigerian Economy.
“However, since the inauguration of the Buhari administration, investors have voted with their feet, having been discouraged by the inchoate and incoherent policies being implemented by the APCled Federal Government. “Th e Jonathan administration maintained a ‘Single Digit Infl ation Rate’ for several years. Infl ation stood at 9.6% at the Inception of the Buhari administration.
Th e incompetence of the current Economic Management Team has resulted in infl ation rising as high as 18.72% in January 2017 before settling at 16.1% in July 2017. Th is had led to the skyrocketing of the price of goods, services and food items thereby making staples unaff ordable to millions of Nigerians. “It is not a coincidence that the last time Nigerians had to deal with the current level of widespread hunger and lack was when President Muhammadu Buhari held sway as military Head of State between 1984 and 1985.
“Th e APC-led federal government inherited an economy that had grown at an average of 7% per annum for the previous 10 years. Indeed, when President Buhari spoke at the Chatham House in February 2015, he admitted that the Nigerian economy had experienced growth for several years. At the time, several global economic experts projected Nigeria to be among the top 7 growing economies in the world in 2016. “However, the APCled federal government has managed to lead the nation to six consecutive quarters of economic recession without a coherent, cogent strategy to bring our economy out of the woods.
“Th e Jonathan administration is widely acclaimed for conducting free, fair and credible elections. Since the inception of the current administration, Nigerians have witnessed widespread and blatant manipulation of the electoral process to suit the whim of the ruling party. “Easy examples can be found in the refusal to postpone the Ondo state gubernatorial election even though valid reasons existed that warranted its postponement; and the postponement of the Edo state gubernatorial election for no justifi able reason when it became obvious that the ruling party was going to lose that election to enable it manipulate the process. Since the inception of this administration, the phenomenon of “inconclusive elections” has become a regular feature of our electoral system.”
On agriculture, he said, “the Jonathan administration had implemented an agricultural sector transformation programme that ensured a reduction of the National Food Import Bill, by encouraging increased local production of staple food items. An example of the results of this policy was the reduction of the price of a bag of rice from N14, 000 per bag in 2012 to N8, 500 in 2014. Th e price of a bag of rice currently stands at N18, 000 having peaked at N22, 000 per bag in 2016.
“Th e success of this programme ensured that the massive fl ooding which hit many farming communities in the food production belts of the country in 2012, did not result in famine and a radical increase in the costs of staple food items.” ‘We own TSA’ On corruption, the PDP spokesman said,”the Jonathan administration took an institutional approach to tackling corruption in the country. In this wise, the administration designed several technological tools to tackle corruption.”
Th ese, according to him, include: “Treasury Savings Account (TSA), Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Integrated Payroll & Personnel Information System (IPPIS). When added to other institutional anti-corruption tools like the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC), our party instituted the existing institutional framework with which to fi ght corruption.
“It is imperative to point out that, despite being in charge of the executive and possessing a majority in both houses of the National Assembly, the ruling party has failed to add anything to, or strengthen the anti-corruption framework and infrastructure of the country. “It is also incumbent on us to point out that the current administration has taken a pedestrian approach to fi ghting corruption by engaging in media trials rather than actively prosecuting cases in court. “Th is approach has had an adverse eff ect on the country with the Egmont Group, an international fi nancial intelligence sharing anticorruption body, using the Nigerian prosecution agencies’ penchant for sharing sensitive information with the media, as a basis for Nigeria’s suspension from the group.”
Cautions APC on Abdullahi, Oni “Th e list of achievements of the Jonathan administration, and indeed past PDP administrations, are too numerous to mention and completely dwarf the wasted years of APC’s governance. “It is important to note that several senior members of APC who constantly feel the need to deride and denigrate our party, using falsehoods as a foundation were once members of our party.
“It is important to point out, for instance, that Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi was a minister under the Jonathan administration, Chief Segun Oni was also a former member of our party on whose platform he rose to become governor of Ekiti state. “Having served in such offi ces, it does not lie in the mouth of such men to state that PDP failed Nigerians. If these men and others of their ilk fi nd it so convenient to deny their past, we wonder what they will say about the present in the near future. “It is necessary to inform the ruling party that Nigerians are suff ering under the weight of the anti-people policies they have been forced to live and do business under. As a result, the ruling party’s days at the helm of aff airs are numbered. “
Th e professional propagandists of the APC will realize too late that blaming the ills of the country on past administrations while doing nothing about them for four clear years, will not save them on the day of judgement. And the day of reckoning is very much at han
