Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has called out the governors from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) for their remarks on the country’s economic and security situation.
The PDP governors met on Monday in Abuja and addressed a press conference, where they called for a bipartisan approach to solving the nation’s problems. They also compared Nigeria’s current challenges to those of Venezuela, a country that has suffered from hyperinflation, food shortages, and political unrest.
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & NATIONAL ORIENTATION
PRESS STATEMENT
PDP GOVERNORS PLAYING TO THE GALLERY; OWE NIGERIANS AN ACCOUNT OF INCREASED ALLOCATIONS
Governors elected on the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) platform met yesterday in Abuja and addressed a press… pic.twitter.com/f7oOFdD05a
— Fed Min of Info & Nat’l Orien (@FMINONigeria) February 13, 2024
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammad Idris, rejected the PDP governors’ remarks as “far-fetched” and “unconscionable.” Idris said Nigeria’s economy was still strong and expected to grow by 3% this year, despite some rough patches. He also said that the government was meeting its financial obligations to lenders at home and abroad, and maintaining a healthy trade balance with the world.
The minister accused the PDP governors of manipulating facts and misinforming Nigerians about the true state of affairs. He said that since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, the revenue available to the three tiers of government had more than doubled and that all 36 states and 774 local governments had been receiving significantly larger allocations.
He called on the PDP governors to account for how they had used the increased revenue to better the lives of Nigerians in their respective states. He said that most states controlled by the PDP owed workers and pensioners months of unpaid salary and pension arrears, and had not paid the minimum wage of N30,000 to their workers since it took effect more than four years ago.
The Minister also criticised the PDP governors for talking about rising costs of living and food when they had not done much to increase food production in their states. He said that the land in Nigeria belonged to the states, not the federal government and that the PDP governors had failed to support farmers in their states to boost food output.
Idris said that the administration of President Tinubu was working assiduously to address the current challenges and that the president was working with his security chiefs to eliminate all security threats wherever they exist within our borders. He said that the government had achieved remarkable results in the number of terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers that had either been killed or arrested in the past few weeks. He also said that the success of the efforts was reflected in the over 700 abducted Nigerians who had been rescued from captivity.
The Minister said that the Central Bank was addressing the problem of volatility in the exchange rate and that the country was beginning to see stability that would eventually lead to the naira gaining its actual value against the dollar and other convertible currencies.
The Minister urged the PDP governors to join their colleagues in the Nigerian Governors Forum, collaborating with President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to revamp the economy for Nigeria’s collective well-being.
“We are not surprised by the antics of the PDP governors, who are desperate to distract Nigerians from their failures and mismanagement. They are the ones who should be held accountable for the hardship and suffering of their people, not the federal government,” Idris said in the statement.
He added that the PDP governors were trying to undermine the efforts of President Tinubu, who had been praised by the international community for his visionary leadership and reforms.
“Nigeria is not Venezuela, and will never be. We are a resilient and progressive nation, with a bright future ahead of us. President Tinubu is determined to take us to the next level of development and prosperity, and no amount of propaganda or falsehood from the PDP governors can stop him,” Idris said.
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