The Presidency on Sunday criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who’s advocating for sluggish reforms instead than President Bola Tinubu’s direct manner.
It argued that Atiku’s financial proposals would have worsened the rustic’s condition.
“While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been implemented decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss [Olusegun Obasanjo] when they had the opportunity,” the President’s Particular Aider on Knowledge and Technique, Mr Bayo Onanuga, mentioned in a commentary he issued on Sunday.
The commentary, titled “Our Initial Response to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” used to be based on a tweet by means of Atiku, who described Tinubu’s reforms as “trial-and-error economic policies,” blaming the President for the “excruciating pain” Nigerians are enduring.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Birthday party additionally famous that, despite the fact that he isn’t the president, his ideas are “in the interest of Nigerians.”
Upon assuming place of business in Might 2023, Tinubu ended the gas subsidy regime and unified the foreign currencies price.
Then again, Nigerians have persisted to really feel the consequences of those and alternative financial reforms, together with emerging costs for meals, shipping, gas, and alternative necessities.
In his tweet titled “What We Would Have Done Differently,” Atiku, who served as Vice President along former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007, defined his suggestions for addressing problems similar to lack of confidence and easing the consequences of subsidy elimination at the people.
However the President countered Atiku, announcing, “It is easy to pontificate and criticise a rival’s programmes even when there is clear evidence that the economic reforms are yielding positive results despite the temporary difficulties.”
Onanuga wrote, “In the beginning, Alhaji Atiku’s concepts, which lacked feature, had been uninvited by means of Nigerians within the 2023 election. Had he gained, we consider he would have plunged Nigeria right into a worse condition or overseen a regime of cronyism.
“Abubakar misplaced the election partially as a result of he vowed to promote the NNPC and alternative belongings to his buddies. Nigerians have now not forgotten this, nor would they be comforted by means of Atiku’s observe file when he controlled the financial system throughout President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first time period from 1999 to 2003.
“As Vice President, Atiku oversaw a questionable privatisation programme. He and his boss confirmed slight religion in our tutorial machine, inauguration their universities date permitting others to say no.
“Despite his futile attempt to mislead Nigerians again in his statement, it is telling that the former Vice President could not dispute the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right course of action.”
The Presidency argued that Atiku’s name for a gentle manner handiest demonstrated his rarity of consciousness of the extreme problems President Tinubu inherited.
“It’s simple to offer a fancy to-do listing, as is anticipated from an election loser.
“President Tinubu encountered a rustic going through diverse critical demanding situations.
“Fuel subsidies were draining resources we could not afford, and there was rampant profiteering in the forex market,” the commentary learn.
It added that refuse accountable chief would permit dysfunctional gas
subsidies and arbitrage to proceed with out addressing them decisively.
“Alhaji Abubakar requires empathy and a human option to reforms. We don’t have any factor with this, because it aligns with our management’s priorities.
“President Tinubu has constantly emphasized the virtue of compassion and protective essentially the most prone.
“The administration has prioritised social safety nets and targeted support for those affected by recent economic transitions,” the commentary concluded.