Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has told President Bola Tinubu that he cannot tax Nigeria out of the current economic rot caused by his “misguided, erratic, trial-and-error and shambolic” policies that have only thrown Nigerians into more acute hunger and hardship.
Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, berated President Tinubu’s administration for claiming that his proposals were decisively rejected by Nigerian voters in 2023 because it was deemed lacking in detail.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Presidency attributed Atiku’s loss in the 2023 presidential election to his commitment to selling the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other state assets to his friends.
The Presidency in a statement issued on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser, Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, said Nigerians reportedly had not forgotten the pledge, nor would they be reassured by Atiku’s track record when he oversaw the economy during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term from 1999 to 2003.
The Presidency further noted that Atiku’s proposals, deemed lacking in detail, were decisively rejected by voters in the last election, and that if Atiku had won the election, he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or established a regime of cronyism.
But in his reaction in a post on his X account on Monday, Atiku said that in stark contrast to the claims of the Presidency, his team did not only devise a comprehensive Recovery Plan, but also welcomed significant input from Nigerians, ensuring that his approach was inclusive and well-considered.
Atiku said, “I have taken note of the initial responses highlighting the striking disparity between President Tinubu’s faltering economic policies and the alternatives I have proposed.
“It is exciting to witness such a vigorous debate on these critical matters, and I sincerely hope that this discourse will ultimately benefit Nigeria and its citizens.
“Like many fellow Nigerians, I firmly believe that we find ourselves in this current economic turmoil due to the Tinubu administration’s hasty ascent to power, devoid of a coherent plan.
“In stark contrast, my team not only devised a comprehensive Recovery Plan, but also welcomed significant input from Nigerians, ensuring that our approach was inclusive and well-considered.
“Isn’t it fascinating how the so-called “tested” Tinubu administration’s only policy response seems to be a national prayer led by the First Lady and the NSA? Just a mere 24 hours after I proposed my alternative solutions! What a bold strategy!”
He further stated, “In my humble interpretation of the scriptures, prayer indeed serves as a noble path to follow. However, the sacred texts also counsel us to engage in diligent labour and hard work.
“It is therefore uncharitable for Tinubu’s team to claim that my proposals remain untested. What remains unproven is the erratic, trial-and-error nature of the policies so far implemented by this administration, which elucidates our present predicament.”
Atiku said that under the economic stewardship of Olusegun Obasanjo, during which he was the Vice President between 1999-2003, Nigeria soared to the pinnacle of Africa’s economies, while Tinubu’s administration has relegated the country to a disheartening fourth position.
According to him, “The average GDP rate under the Obasanjo administration that I served in was 6.59% and peaked at 15% in 2002; 7.98% under the late Yar’Adua administration and 4.8% under Jonathan compared to the dismal 2.8% of the so-called “tested” Tinubu era. Enough of the pains of the shambolic “bolekaja” economic policy prescriptions!
“We cannot hope to tax our way out of the economic quagmire wrought by these misguided experimental policies of a novice administration.”
Atiku said that numerous nations, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Monaco (an EU territory with a zero-income tax policy), among many others, have emerged as economic powerhouses by fostering growth through lower taxation.
He questioned, “Why then are we fixated on inflicting further hardship upon an already struggling populace?”
He noted, “One can only speculate that Tinubu’s government is anchored to a mere Tea-plan, which can only lead to a T-pain.
“Furthermore, let me emphasize that the citizens who cast their votes in the 2023 presidential election are well aware that I did not lose; rather, we find ourselves in this predicament because the election was criminally stolen from the Nigerian people.”
