APC To PDP: Obasanjo, Yar'Adua, Jonathan's Reckless Decisions, Cause Of Recession

 Amidst public angst over the appalling state of the economy under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari which has been officially confirmed to be in recession, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said its hands are clean.

The party rather asked Nigerians to blame the current economic mess on former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, whom it accused of plundering the country's resources for 16 years.

APC said the three leaders, who ruled under the platform of the now-turned opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), had the golden opportunity to turn the economy around, but wasted it.

Reacting yesterday in Abuja to the PDP's call on Buhari to resign over his poor performance, the APC said that the party lacked the credibility and rectitude to make such a call.

The PDP had, while reacting to the declaration of economic recession by the Presidency, demanded that the President resign his position for leading Nigeria into the crisis.

In a statement issued by the APC National Secretary, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, the ruling party assured Nigerians that the Buhari administration remains committed to resuscitating the economy in the quickest possible time and in the interest of the people.

The party reinstated its commitment to returning Nigeria into a strong economic nation, regretting that it met an already battered economy which was handed over to it by the past PDP administration.

"The statement by the PDP is the latest in the party's insensitive plot to deflect attention from the voodoo' economics and reckless fiscal policies the country was subjected to during its 16-year rule.

"For the umpteenth time, the PDP lacks the moral basis and credibility to comment or condemn the government on the economy after the mess it left behind. Instead, the PDP must apologise to Nigerians.

"The warning signs were glaring to the immediate past administration but it chose the path of economic sabotage by looking the other way and squandering the country's commonwealth, a reckless decision that has brought the country to its knees.

"Nigerians will recall that even the immediate past finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy, confessed that the zero political will to save under the immediate past administration is responsible for the challenges facing the country.

"Happily, the President Buhari administration has embarked on a well thought economic agenda, policy actions, appropriate fiscal governance, and socio-political reforms to revamp the economy and tackle the nation's current challenges in the short to long term," the ruling party noted.

Recently, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, asked President Buhari to retrace his steps and stop the blame game to avoid going the way of the administration of Jonathan.

He lamented that while Jonathan made oil subsidy billionaires, Buhari was making the same mistake of creating forex billionaires.

Even the foreign exchange policy, which Sanusi criticised, was hailed yesterday by the APC.

The party said that the President has introduced a new flexible foreign exchange policy through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in June 2016, adding that, "we now have a single market determined exchange rate which enables suppliers of foreign currencies to bring in their money and take the same out at market-determined rates."

The President's shuttle diplomacy has yielded positive effects on the country's economic policies, the party added.

According to the APC, "the generality of Nigerians agree that the days of impunity are over. Through the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by the President Muhammadu Buhari's APC led administration, revenue leakages have been greatly plugged."
 

Change will take time, Buhari insists


Meanwhile, President Buhari has restated his commitment to the implementation of the change agenda he promised Nigerians.

Buhari, who spoke yesterday during his official visit to Osogbo, the Osun State capital to inaugurate the 3,000-capacity Osogbo High School, however, said that the promised change won't come overnight.

He was in the state to commission the project as part of activities marking the 25th anniversary of its creation.

The President, who said that change could not be achieved on a bed of roses, added that through patience and perseverance, the challenges the country was facing would become a thing of the past.

He reiterated his administration's determination to implement the change agenda through the fight against corruption.

The President said: "We are determined to implement our change agenda by curbing excessive wastes in government. We shall restore integrity to governance through the fight against corruption. We are determined to deliver and rescue the country from bad governance.''

The President, who said he was happy to be in Osun State, which he described as the spiritual home of Yoruba civilisation, thanked the people of the state for voting for APC in the 2015 general elections.

Governor Aregbesola in his remarks, said that building the school was part of the state government's efforts toward the development of education in the state.
He said that the school, which has 72 classrooms and a multi-purpose hall among other facilities, would provide a conducive learning environment for students.

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