By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, raised the alarm that Nigeria, under President Bola Tinubu, “is asphyxiating, in dire straits and fast grinding to a halt.”
It also alleged that the country was at the edge of the precipice under the Tinubu-led administration, which it said lacked the acceptability and followership of citizens; a situation that has created an atmosphere and feeling of absence of governance in the country.
The PDP, which raised the alarm in a statement by its Spokesman, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said that the “ill-planned and hasty implementation of policies” by the President Bola Tinubu-administration had brought excruciating hardship, horrifying insecurity and a general sense of apprehension that is already threatening the peace, unity and corporate existence of the nation.
PDP said that Tinubu’s lack of ingenuity, tact and sensitivity towards the wellbeing of Nigerians in the removal of subsidy and floating of the Naira has brought unbearable high cost of living, crippled national productivity, crashed millions of businesses and sparked massive job loss with attendant escalated poverty, hunger, insecurity and hopelessness across the country.
“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.
“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,” the statement said.
The PDP described 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 the 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.
It said 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 of the APC government insensitivity towards the security, safety and wellbeing of citizens.
“More disturbing is the recent downing of a Nigerian military aircraft with 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.
“Instead of protecting Nigerians, the APC government is desperate to plunge our nation into a needless war in Niger Republic over a conflict in that nation that does not constitute any threat whatsoever to our national interest,” the PDP said.
The major-opposition party said it was concerned that the general sense of despondency, anxiety, distress and disconnection in the country, if not urgently addressed, could deteriorate into a serious crisis but urged Nigerians to remain calm, law-abiding and continue to support one another in their quest for a secure and economically thriving nation.
