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Nigeria’s Economic Hardship: APC Blames Jonathan’s Poor Management

December 29, 2014

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has again blamed President Goodluck Jonathan of failing to plan for the rainy day.

Addressing party supporters in Enugu, Osita Okechukwu, the spokesman of South East APC, expressed agreement with the President about the variety of challenges confronting Nigeria, and that they did not start today.  

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Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, Mr. Jonathan had said, “We are facing a lot of challenges now as a nation, the challenges did not start today, but somehow, instead of abating the problems started increasing for one reason or the other,” adding, “The drop in the crude oil prices will affect us in one way or the other; however the Economic Team is working very hard to stabilize it. Although we believe there may be temporary inconveniences, it will definitely not bring the economy down.'

Mr. Okechukwu said that although he agreed that the problems did not start today, they are increasing instead because of the nebulous and inchoate economic policies of Jonathan's Economic Team.

“One is at a loss how else an economy can be down, except now that Nigeria is broke, the Naira devalued and we are back into the loop of foreign debt trap,” he declared.  “Our hardship and the challenges are inflicted by Jonathan regime.”

He regretted that the Economic Team had failed to plan for the rainy day, noting that the volatility of the crude oil market was elementary knowledge, and that no responsible and responsive government would panic form Day One as the Jonathan’s Team was doing.  In one breath they said that government has no business in business and in another breath they fuel corruption.”

The spokesman recalled that at the inception of Jonathan's regime in May 2010, it inherited from late President Umaru Musa Yaradua over $10 billion in the Excess Crude Account and from thence till last month crude oil price was never sold below $90 per barrel.

Similarly, he said, in the last five years, the Federal Inland Revenue Service has annually raked in a minimum of N4 trillion from corporate and personal income taxes nationwide.

He further noted that the Nigeria Customs Service, despite reckless waivers being granted to cronies by the Jonathan regime, rakes in a minimum of N800 billion annually.

“Accordingly, when you add revenue from LNG and other sources you will agree with me that the hardship Nigerians are facing today is deliberately inflicted by the planlessness and squandermania of the Jonathan administration,” he said.

He stressed that another major disaster could have been averted, if Jonathan had completed the three Greenfield Refineries he awarded on 13th May, 2010, to be located in Bayelsa, Lagos and Kogi States, as a result of which the N2 trillion being squandered annually on the importation of refined petroleum products could have been utilized in the power sector.

“This is why I told you people that Jonathan is the de facto Campaign Manager of General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB).  His poor performance is very difficult to cover, no matter the gaze of the propaganda.  Our elders say that if a child is unable to shoulder the load given to him, the only solution is to give it to another.”

He urged the supporters to keep their Permanent Voters Card safe for the February elections, as no amount of blame game sermons and excuses by President Jonathan will deny Nigerians their obligation of harvesting from the doctrine of elections in a liberal democracy, which is the civic duty of vote- referendum on the performance of the incumbent.