By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) says that Nigeria is currently grinding to a halt under the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP, in a statement issued on Monday by Debo Ologunagba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said that the Tinubu-led administration has been implementing hasty policies without due consideration to the wants of Nigerians.
“Our Party is alarmed that there is a serious disconnection between the government and the citizens arising from ill-planned and hasty implementation of policies that have brought excruciating hardship, horrifying insecurity and a general sense of apprehension that is already threatening the peace, unity and corporate existence of our nation.
“The administration’s lack of ingenuity, tact and sensitivity towards the wellbeing of Nigerians in the removal of subsidy and floating of the Naira inflamed unbearable high cost of living, crippled our national productivity, crashed millions of businesses and sparked massive job loss with attendant escalated poverty, hunger, insecurity and hopelessness across the country.”
The statement said that million of Nigerians have been left without jobs owing to a loss of confidence by investors which has seen to the winding up of many international businesses.
“The situation has snowballed into a dangerous loss of investors’ confidence with international companies exiting our nation and leaving millions of Nigerians stranded in the labour market with crippling effect on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which are the real drivers of our national economy.
This is as it accused the government of implementing a “fraud-prone palliative program.”
“It is horrifying that in the last two months, over 150 million Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals with families now going to bed on empty stomach.
“It is appalling that the APC government continues to tout their fraud-prone palliative program of a miserable average 1,200 bags of rice to Nigerians in each State of the country. The APC has expanded its capacity to deceive and defraud Nigerians through phony programmes; a situation that has heightened frustration across the country.
“Moreover, the PDP describes as distressing that the APC government had turned a blind eye to the plight of Nigerians with no concrete commitment towards the safety of lives of our citizens despite the killing of over 500 Nigerians in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kaduna and other States of the federation, with many more abducted since May 29, 2023.
“The failure of the APC government to decisively act since the abduction of eight corps members who were on their way to Sokoto State for their one-year mandatory national service is another ugly testament to the APC government’s insensitivity towards the security, safety, and wellbeing of citizens.
“More disturbing is the recent downing of a Nigerian military aircraft with the attendant loss of lives of our brave and gallant military personnel without corresponding reassuring statement from the APC government.
“Currently, under the APC, life expectancy in Nigeria has plummeted. Citizens and residents live in constant apprehension and cannot move freely across the country for fear of being killed or abducted,” the statement added.