Nigeria Gradually Grinding to Halt Under Tinubu, PDP Alleges

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, alleged that Nigeria was in dire straits and fast grinding to a halt under President Bola Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party lamented that Nigeria was on the edge of a precipice under the Tinubu-led APC government. It said the administration lacked the acceptability and followership of citizens.

According to PDP, the situation has created an atmosphere and feeling of absence of governance in the country.

Ologunagba stated, “Our party is alarmed that there is a serious disconnection between the government and the citizens arising from ill-planned and hasty implementation of policies that have brought excruciating hardship, horrifying insecurity, and a general sense of apprehension that is already threatening the peace, unity, and corporate existence of our nation.”

The PDP spokesman further stated regarding the Tinubu government, “The administration’s lack of ingenuity, tact and sensitivity towards the wellbeing of Nigerians in the removal of subsidy and floating of the naira inflamed unbearable high cost of living, crippled our national productivity, crashed millions of businesses and sparked massive job loss with attendant escalated poverty, hunger, insecurity, and hopelessness across the country.

“The situation has snowballed into a dangerous loss of investors’ confidence with international companies exiting our nation and leaving millions of Nigerians stranded in the labour market with crippling effect on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which are the real drivers of our national economy.

“It is horrifying that in the last two months, over 150 million Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals, with families now going to bed on empty stomach.”

PDP stressed that it was appalling that the APC government continued to tout their alleged fraud-prone palliative programme, “of a miserable average 1,200 bags of rice to Nigerians in each state of the country”. It maintained that the ruling party “has expanded its capacity to deceive and defraud Nigerians through phony programmes; a situation that has heightened frustration across the country”.

PDP said it was distressing that the APC government had turned a blind eye to the plight of Nigerians, with no concrete commitment towards the safety of lives of the citizens, “despite the killing of over 500 Nigerians in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kaduna and other states of the federation, with many more abducted since May 29, 2023”.

The PDP spokesman added, “The failure of the APC government to decisively act since the abduction of eight corps members, who were on their way to Sokoto State for their one-year mandatory national service, is another ugly testament of the APC government’s insensitivity towards the security, safety and wellbeing of citizens.

“More disturbing is the recent downing of a Nigerian military aircraft with attendant loss of lives of our brave and gallant military personnel without corresponding reassuring statement from the APC government.”

Ologunagba stated that under APC, life expectancy in Nigeria had plummeted, and citizens and residents lived in constant apprehension and could not move freely across the country for fear of being killed or abducted.

He stressed, “Instead of protecting Nigerians, the APC government is desperate to plunge our nation into a needless war in Niger Republic over a conflict in the nation that does not constitute any threat whatsoever to our national interest.

“Our party is concerned that the general sense of despondency, anxiety, distress and disconnection in the country, if not urgently addressed, could deteriorate into a serious crisis.”

PDP charged Nigerians to remain calm, law-abiding, and continue to support one another in their quest for a secure and economically thriving nation.