Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described President
Muhammadu Buhari’s latest comment that he was pleased with Nigeria’s
economic situation as another pointer to the fact that the President
has lost touch with the economic realities in the country, saying; “It
is strange that a President will say that he is pleased with
sufferings being experienced by his people.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, by his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it
was obvious that President Buhari’s close to three months stay in
London had taken his mind off the reality of the economic crises being
witnessed in the country.
Governor Fayose, who said economic growth of a nation can only be
measured by the welfare of the people, asked; “How can a President who
has spent more time abroad than he spent in Nigeria be telling
Nigerians that he is satisfied with the sufferings of the people? It
is like the President endorsing the sufferings of Nigerians and this
is painful,” he said.
“That President Buhari, who met exchange rate at N197 to $1 said that
he is pleased with the economy when exchange rate is now N370 to $1 is
a clear indication that the government is being ran on his behalf.”
“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its unemployment report
for the fourth quarter (Q4) 2016 said 3.67 million Nigerians became
jobless in one year and that the number of unemployed Nigerians rose
from 7.51 million at the beginning of October 2015 to 11.19 million at
the end of September 2016.
“The same NBS, said in its June 2015 to May 2016 National Corruption
Report, that over N400 billion was paid as bribes to public officials
in Nigeria in one year (June 2015 – May 2016). Yet, they will tell
Nigerians that they are fighting corruption when indeed, corruption is
thriving under the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of
President Buhari.
“As at May 29, 2015 that Buhari became President, bag of rice was less
than N8,000, a bag of rice is about N18,000 now, more than 25 states
cannot pay workers salary regularly owing to dwindled revenue from the
federation account, and someone is telling Nigerians that the economy
is doing well? It is clear that the President has lost touch with real
economic situation of the country,” Governor Fayose said further.
While insisting that the President was not telling Nigerians the truth
on the economic situation of the country, Governor Fayose said, “Even
a two year old child knows that there is hunger in the land, Nigerians
are hungry, they are suffering and telling them that all is well is
like adding salt to their injury.”
