Presidency To Atiku: Your Model Was Rejected, Has No Substance
The Presidency has taken a swipe at the statement of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in which he outlined policies he would have implemented differently as president, describing them as “rejected ideas” that lacked substance and were dismissed by Nigerians in the 2023 elections.
It said that it was expected of an election loser to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes, even when irrefutable indices show economic reform progress.
In a statement issued on Sunday titled; “What We Would Have Done Differently,” Atiku pointedly outlined a detailed approach he would have adopted with regards to subsidy removal, increase in electricity tariffs, Forex exchange management, tackling corruption, reforming the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and improving the country’s refining infrastructure, saying that he would have adopted a gradual approach to subsidy removal, which he said would better cushion the impact on Nigerians.
But, in a swift response, the Presidency, declared that Atiku’s plans of doing things differently were untested, stressing that his policies would have worsened Nigeria’s economic challenges or encouraged cronyism.
The presidency statement which was issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said that Atiku’s ideas, which lacked details, were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll.
Onanuga said; “If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism.”
The Presidency said that Atiku’s record as Vice President during the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, highlighting his role in the country’s controversial privatization program, faced scrutiny for its lack of transparency.
The statement further said; “Abubakar lost the election partly because he vowed to sell the NNPC and other assets to his friends, further suggesting that Nigerians remain skeptical of Atiku’s legacy, particularly given the establishment of private universities by both him and Obasanjo during their tenure, even as public institutions reportedly struggled”.
The Presidency said that the gradual reforms suggested by Atiku, would not have addressed the scale of challenges faced by the nation.
According to the Presidency; “While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity”.
Onanuga noted that Tinubu’s reforms, though difficult, are crucial to stabilizing the economy, adding that fuel subsidies were draining the nation’s resources, and forex market irregularities needed correction.
He said; “No leader worth his name will allow these two economic disorders to persist without moving to end them surgically. President Tinubu is committed to ensuring the longevity of the country’s financial health”.
The Presidency said that Tinubu’s administration has prioritized social safety nets, aiming to protect the most vulnerable during the transition, saying that while Atiku’s vision is “easy to paint on paper,” adding however that it does not address the depth of Nigeria’s challenges.
