By Chinelo Obogo
Director-General, Global Initiatives for Good Governance (GIGG), Dr. Emeka Kalu, has criticised the Federal Government for the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N865.
In a statement he made on Thursday, Kalu warned that the increase would lead to the collapse of the economy, which he said has been on a downward spiral in the last 16 months of the assumption of office of President Bola Tinubu.
Kalu also emphasised that the increase is an indication that the Federal Government has no clue about how to tackle the plight of Nigerians, saying that since the emergence of APC in 2015, the nation ‘s economy is nearing total collapse.
He also said that the administration of ex President Muhammed Buhari failed to positively attract basic infrastructural development during his eight-year tenure.
“The sudden increase in the fuel pump price by the APC-led Federal government has among other things driven in the rust nails of her shaky, clueless and lopsided leadership that has seriously continued to frustrate Nigerians whose common wealth is being carelessly looted and misappropriated.
“Highly regrettable that since the emergence of the APC and its coming to power in 2015, the nation’s economy has gravely suffered a huge setback if not total collapse. Today, the removal of fuel subsidies has obviously done more harm than good to the nation as the citizens hopelessly struggle to make both ends meet,” Kalu said.
He emphasised that the World Bank reports had named Nigeria as the third country in the world with a high debt profile and stands the risks of becoming the most indebted nation in the world if swift actions were not taken to salvage the situation.
He warned that the economic hardship Nigerians are facing may last for long despite the assurances of the Federal Government that the economy would receive a boost soon. He also said that the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of Tinubu has turned out to be a hopelessness, hunger and despondency.
“The problem with Nigeria according to one of the late Prof. Chinua Achebe’s quotes remain ‘bad leadership’ and this social stigma has mercilessly eaten deep into the nation’s fabrics. Consider the high rate of insecurity across the nation as innocent Nigerians are being attacked, kidnapped and killed on a daily basis while the government is also busy chasing protesters who carried out their civic and constitutional rights under democracy.
“Plateau State communities are currently under siege by insurgents, a police divisional headquarters in Imo State was recently attacked and lives were lost. Serial kidnappers mount our various inter state roads, capturing helpless citizens like rats and demand ransoms to be paid while the government remains busy in relieving public servants of their offices and giving portfolios to those, she feels are their loyalists at the expense of the established principle of federal character system in Nigeria,” he said.
