The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the federal government under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to immediately review its anti-people policies that are suffocating the people and making life unbearable.
PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, PDP said the nationwide protest by Nigerians would not have come if the APC government had dropped its arrogance and insensitivity, and shown sincere commitment to the citizens by taking steps to address the current hardship occasioned by its ill-implemented polices.
PDP urged Nigerians to recall that it had on several occasions offered advice to the APC government on the state of the economy, the most recent being PDP’s statement on June 6, wherein it urged that “President Tinubu should listen to the heartbeat of Nigerians. There is hunger and destitution in the land. The reaction of a hungry people is better imagined! Mr. President, please, act now”.
Ologunagba stated, “Sadly, these counsels did not receive the expected consideration, resulting in the current situation.
“It is alarming that instead of engaging Nigerians and addressing their concerns, the APC allegedly recruited hoodlums to instigate violence so as to justify a clampdown and killing of innocent Nigerians.
“The APC is completely insensitive to the fact that more than 120 million Nigerians have become destitute and can no longer afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life, as poverty rate soars to over 40 per cent because of the policies of the APC administration.
“As stated by the PDP on several occasions, any people-oriented government ought to have been wary of the suffocating effect of the hasty and ill-implemented twin policies of abrupt increase in the price of petroleum products and arbitrary floating of the Naira without due cushioning measures to ensure the wellbeing of the people.”
PDP alleged that the thoughtless policies of the APC administration were responsible for the crippling of the productive sector, with the crashing of the naira to over N1,500 to the dollar, and soaring fuel prices to over N1,000 per litre. It the rising prices had triggered high cost of goods and services, with over 34 per cent inflation rate, over 40 per cent unemployment rate, closure of millions of businesses, and mass exodus of major multi-national companies from the country.
PDP said, “The APC has plunged Nigeria into a humanitarian crisis, where millions of citizens are literarily starving and dying of hunger. Sadly, today, a bag of rice sells for over N85,000; a bag of beans goes for N150,000; a measure of garri now sells for N1,500, while a measure of cooking oil, which sold for N1,200, now sells for N12,000, with prices of all food items increasing daily.
“More provocative is that while Nigerians are crying for food, the APC officials in government are busy looting the national treasury to fund their luxury appetite, including acquisition of luxury jets, expensive holidays abroad, renovation of official residential mansions, and other profligacies, without regard to the feeling and the pains of majority of Nigerians.
“Also disturbing is the scandalous revelation that the APC administration is secretly paying a whopping N5.4 trillion as fuel subsidy for 2024 even after the president announced an end to fuel subsidy.
“What Nigerians expect at this time is for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to personally address the nation, announce major policy reviews, and order investigation into the alleged looting of subsidy and palliative funds.
“Mr. President should also review all luxury items and purchases in the APC government and channel the resources for immediate intervention in the provision of food and other essential commodities to Nigerians.”
PDP called on Nigerians to remain peaceful and law-abiding in the pursuit of good governance in the country.
Chuks Okocha
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