2 days ago
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, insisting that his reforms are already transforming the Nigerian economy.
They argued that the changes, anchored on realistic naira and fuel pricing, are gradually shifting the nation from a consumption-driven economy to a production-based one.
Speaking further, the party labelled ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai as unsuccessful politicians desperate for power.
Speaking via a statement released on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, APC accused the trio of holding top political positions in Nigeria between 1999 and 2023 yet failed to tackle the issues they are now accusing Tinubu of neglecting.
Morka stated, “In all 24 years, the trio, individually or collectively, could not and did not eradicate poverty in their states or the country. They did not even attempt to address, let alone tackle, the structural challenges and distortions that stifled the economy and worsened poverty over the years.
“Rather, they revelled in mindless rent-seeking behaviour, sold national assets to their cronies for mere pittance, engaged in corrupt and wasteful expenditures in their states, and relentlessly sponsored state violence against their own people.
“Take the case of Amaechi, the celebrant, who served for an unbroken total of 24 years – eight years as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, eight years as Governor of Rivers State, and eight years as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That’s about a quarter of a century of freeloading by Amaechi on state resources, with absolutely no record of attempting to combat poverty in his Rivers State or the country.
“When Amaechi declared, I am hungry, he must mean, and must be understood to mean, that he is hungry and desperate to return to his felt entitled dependency on state resources and patronage. That he is hungry barely two years out of office simply underscores the depth of the self-serving motivations of Amaechi and his coalition partners in their quest for power for selfish exploitation, and not for the interest of the people.”
The APC stated that Nigerians are not fooled by Amaechi and his allies’ disruptive political tactics, noting that they are steadily losing their influence over the economy.
According to the APC, Atiku, Amaechi, and El-Rufai, who were used to exploiting the system, are now being forced to adjust to President Tinubu’s groundbreaking reforms, which prioritise hard work, productivity, and innovation over personal gain.
Morka stated, “On the contrary, it was the failure of previous administrations, particularly 16 years of PDP administrations, to allow the Naira to find its real value that created the economic conditions of poverty that the present administration is now addressing.
“The erstwhile artificially overvalued Naira stifled local production, encouraged import dependency, and exacerbated poverty. Ironically, Atiku and Peter Obi, who are now vociferously criticizing President Tinubu’s policies, amassed their wealth from the very import-dependent system they are desperately trying to preserve.
“Atiku, a former Customs Officer, and Obi, a successful importer, reaped enormous benefits from the old system. Their criticisms reek of special interest masqueraded as concern for the people. By allowing market forces to determine the Naira’s value, the administration is taking necessary bold steps to catalyze economic growth, incentivize investment, boost competitiveness, and alleviate poverty.
“Indubitably, in two years, President Tinubu has demonstrated political will to tackle structural barriers to the country’s economic growth and development far more than any other President in Nigeria’s modern history. By his bold economic reforms, President Tinubu is systematically building the most potent bulwark against poverty and positioning the economy to deliver sustained and sustainable growth and prosperity for all Nigerians. “
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