19th April, 2024
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
The Presidency has said contrary to the assertions of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has been tackling problems confronting Nigeria headlong while moving for an audacious reset that will firmly put the country on a solid economic pedestal.
The presidency said this in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
The statement was issues in respose to the assertions about the state of economy and insecurity in Nigeria made by the main opposition PDP at the end of its NEC meeting in Abuja on Thursday
While describing the assertions by the opposition party as ‘tantrums’ the presidency accused PDP of hypocrisy for “accusing the president and his party for all its notorious inadequacies when it reigned for 16 years, until it was shoved out of power in 2015.”
The Presidency also accused the party of being out of tune with the reality of the situation of the economy and security in Nigeria in making the assertions.
“We believe the party’s NEC members must have been habiting another planet, as all the accusations contradicted the reality on ground and completely ignored the stellar achievements recorded by the Tinubu Administration in less than one year.
“Unlike the PDP administration of 16 years, the Tinubu administration has been confronting the problems of our country headlong, moving for an audacious reset that will firmly put our country on a solid economic pedestal.
“The results are already showing. Contrary to the pessimism and wishes of some PDP leaders, the National Currency has become the world’s best performing, appreciating by almost 50 percent against the dollar in few weeks. Exchange rate is stabilising as a convergence has been reached between official and so-called parallel market. The contrived pall of gloom cast over our nation has faded out and renewed hope is unleashed.
“Such is the positive trend that the APC economic programme is generating that the IMF has reviewed upwards the growth projection for our country this year from 2.9 percent to 3.3 percent.
“The administration is targeting a higher growth with its plans to embark on audacious infrastructure projects, such as the Badagry-Sokoto Highway and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. The latter has attracted unwarranted attack by one of the PDP leaders, blinded by the huge economic benefits of the highway project,” the Presidency said.
It also rejected advise of PDP that the President should beef up its economic team.
“No thanks PDP! The President’s economic team is doing well and no sane government, will change a winning team, that is working in sync with the advisory of the private sector, state governors and economic gurus in the country.”
In the same vein, the presidency said the security situation in the country has improved greatly under the Tinubu’s administration, contrary to the claim of PDP.
“It was surprising that the PDP under whose watch Boko Haram was born in 2009 and worse of all, which looted the billions of dollars earmarked to equip our armed forces and the police, could so unabashedly blame the Tinubu administration for what it wrongly termed increasing spate of terrorism and banditry.
“This is far from the truth. Security has improved, with fewer cases of terrorist attacks and banditry recorded. In recent weeks, over a thousand kidnapped victims, some whose kidnapping antedated this government were rescued by our gallant armed forces, without government paying any ransom.
The Presidency further dismissed claim of PDP that President Tinubu is plotting to turn Nigeria into one party state.
“The PDP is advised to harmonise its home first, rather than accusing President Tinubu of trying to entrench one party state. President Tinubu nurses no such plan as it only exists in the imagination of the opposition PDP,” the statement concluded.
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