Photo: Kola Sulaimon / AFP
• As opposition party opens ‘fact sheet’ on prices of foodstuff, fuel, others
Almost eight years into the All Progressives Congress-led government, the party, yesterday, continued its finger pointing at the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing it of battering the nation’s economy.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who spoke on the administration’s achievements at a press conference, also scolded PDP for attempting to overheat the polity in its desperation to return to power.
But reacting in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, PDP dismissed the press conference as another anthology of lies, false and bogus performance claims by “the failed and rudderless APC administration.”
According to The Guardian, Mohammed said: “We are not under any illusion that they will stop their misrepresentation. No, because in their desperation to return to complete their demolition work on Nigeria, these folks will stop at nothing to paint us bad.
“But the good news is that Nigerians remain traumatised by their 16-year misrule, and will not return to ‘Egypt’ by allowing the ‘demolition gang’ back to office. In the meantime, let them present their 16-year stewardship in all the areas we have listed above and let Nigerians judge.”
The minister insisted his party should not be held responsible for the nation’s economic challenges. According to him, such indices are global trends and are not peculiar to Nigeria.
“What we are saying is that this increase is a global trend, and it is not limited to any country. Therefore, presenting it as a Nigerian problem is mischievous, disingenuous and a clear act of misinformation. Let me add that the crippling fuel shortage experienced across the country in recent times has started easing, as measures put in place by the government begin to work,” he said.
The minister added: “We have consistently showcased the massive achievements of this administration in all sectors, even as we admit the challenges we face and work hard to ameliorate things. But against the resort to lies and misinformation by the opposition, it is absolutely necessary for us to dispel their misrepresentation of facts and put things in perspective, which is what we have done today.”
BUT PDP said: “The APC administration attempted to downplay and treat with levity, the excruciating economic hardship, hunger and other life discounting experiences being faced by Nigerians daily because of severe food crisis, lingering fuel emergency, high cost of essential commodities and services, closure of schools, insecurity and mass killing, collapse of healthcare system and decayed public infrastructure under its watch.”
“A bag of rice, which sold for N7,500 under the PDP, now sells for over N30,000; a measure of bean, which sold for N350 under the PDP, now sells for over N1000; a measure of garri, which sold for N120 under the PDP, now sells for N700; a bottle of palm oil, which sold for N250 under the PDP, now sells for over N1000.
“In the same vein, a kilo of meat, which sold for N700 under the PDP, now sells for N3000; a litre of petrol, which sold for N87 under the PDP, now sells for as high as N400 to N500, while a litre of diesel, which sold for N110 under the PDP, now sells for over N800, yet Lai Mohammed provocatively claims that Nigerians are better off under the APC.”
As reported by The Punch, the PDP had on Monday, faulted claims by Lai Mohammed, that the opposition party was trying to distort President Buhari ’s achievements, saying the country only recorded retrogression under the regime.
The former ruling party listed Buhari’s achievements to include corruption, high unemployment rate, weakened currency, N33 trillion foreign debt, among others.
The minister had alleged that the PDP’s desperation to return to power in 2023 was responsible for its plan “to sabotage” the President’s regime.
He noted that the plan of the main opposition party was to overheat the polity, distort Buhari’s achievement, and misinform Nigerians.
“As you know, the folks on the other side have been doing everything in recent times to overheat the polity, distort the achievements of our administration, and spread misinformation,” Mohammed said while briefing journalists in Abuja, on Monday.
But responding to Mohammed’s allegation on Monday night, the PDP spokesman, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, described the minister’s presser “as another anthology of lies, false and bogus performance claims by the failed and rudderless All Progressives Congress administration.”
In a statement titled, ‘Lai Mohammed’s Press Conference, Another APC’s Anthology of Lies – PDP’, Ologunagba alleged that figures and completed projects churned out by the minister as Buhari’s achievements were false.
The statement read in part, “It is ludicrous and insensitive that the APC government went to the media to list non-existence roads, bridges, agricultural and health projects as achievements. More pathetic is the APC’s attempt to claim credit for development projects initiated and implemented by successive PDP administrations including in our railways, aviation, agricultural, healthcare, education, telecommunications, banking, and manufacturing sectors among others.
“It is laughable that the APC government is also claiming credit for critical projects in various parts of the country which are being funded by resources mobilized by the PDP administrations under the framework of counterpart funding from International Partners and bodies.
“The only legitimate achievements of the APC government include its corruption record (second most corrupt in West Africa and 154 out of 180 on Global Corruption Index), over 33 percent unemployment rate, a weakened currency at over N500 to a dollar, N33 trillion foreign debt and still counting and the siphoning of over N16 trillion by APC leaders.
“The PDP cautions the APC to note that its continued arrogance in failure is daily confronting and reminding Nigerians of the statement made by one of its founding members, the late Prince Tony Momoh in April 2016 and the consequences are better imagined.”
