The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s claim that Nigeria’s economy has emerged from the ‘dark tunnel’, citing increasing poverty, with more than 140 million Nigerians, representing 63 per cent of the population, reportedly living in abject poverty.
The organisation said the poverty figure, alongside rising unemployment, food insecurity and the daily closure of businesses, exposed the disconnect between the President’s assessment of the economy and the harsh realities confronting millions of Nigerians.
MDPCO is the campaign organisation of the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
MDPCO, in a reaction on Monday through its Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Richard Ihediwa, described Tinubu’s claim, made in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as misleading and unsupported by prevailing economic indicators.
It argued that it was disturbing that the President could make such a claim in the Holy Land despite what it alleged to be widening poverty across the country.
The organisation stated that hundreds of businesses were closing daily because of the effects of the administration’s economic policies and rising taxes, while unemployment and food insecurity continued to deepen.
It added that more than 60 million Nigerians were facing acute food insecurity and going to bed hungry, with little hope of relief under the present administration.
MDPCO also accused the government of failing to address the security situation, saying insecurity had restricted citizens’ freedom of movement and undermined farming, trade and other commercial activities.
It went on, ‘Despite being an oil-producing country, fuel price in Nigeria remains unaffordable at between N1,500 and N2,000 per litre in various parts of the country, driving high costs of living, a harsh business environment and eroding the purchasing power of citizens.’
On infrastructure, the organisation said Nigeria’s deficit had reached an estimated $2.3tn, adding that experts projected that approximately $100bn would be required annually over the next 30 years to bridge the gap.
The organisation described Tinubu’s assertion that the economy had emerged from the dark tunnel while the country continued to accumulate debts, putting Nigeria’s total debt at N166.7tn under his administration, as ‘ironic.’
The campaign organisation further accused the President of borrowing recklessly from foreign creditors without verifiable investments in projects and programmes or a clear plan for repayment.
It said Nigerians had expected Tinubu to use his visit to the Holy Ka’abah to seek forgiveness, reflect on his administration’s record and acknowledge the hardship and widespread misery allegedly caused by its policies.
Commenting on Tinubu’s declaration in the Holy Land that Allah gives power and takes it from whom He wills, the organisation said the statement was an answered prayer for Nigerians seeking a change of leadership, urging him to heed what it called divine guidance by withdrawing from the 2027 presidential race and supporting Makinde.
The organisation further stated that Makinde’s proposed Reset Nigeria Agenda offered the country an opportunity to chart a new course through economic opportunities, affordable living, improved security, quality education, accountable governance and national unity.