Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has mocked the administration of President Bola Tinubu over a planned national prayer led by Oluremi Tinubu, first lady, and Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), to fix the country’s challenges.
The prayer is being organised by the National Prayer Forum (NPF).
There has been an exchange between the presidency and Abubakar after the former vice-president proposed solutions to the country’s economic challenges.
The former vice-president said although he advocated for the removal of the petrol subsidy, his administration would have adopted “a gradualist approach” to implementing the reforms.
But the presidency, through Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Abubakar’s ideas “lacked details,” adding that Nigerians “rejected” him and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.
In a post on X on Monday, Abubakar said Tinubu was in a haste to take power “devoid of a coherent plan”.
I have taken note of the initial responses highlighting the striking disparity between President Tinubu’s faltering economic policies and the alternatives I have proposed. It is exciting to witness such a vigorous debate on these critical matters, and I sincerely hope that this…
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) November 4, 2024
“In stark contrast, my team not only devised a comprehensive Recovery Plan, but also welcomed significant input from Nigerians, ensuring that our approach was inclusive and well-considered,” he said.
“Isn’t it fascinating how the so-called ‘tested’ Tinubu administration’s only policy response seems to be a national prayer led by the First Lady and the NSA? Just a mere 24 hours after I proposed my alternative solutions! What a bold strategy!
“In my humble interpretation of the scriptures, prayer indeed serves as a noble path to follow. However, the sacred texts also counsel us to engage in diligent labour and hard work. It is therefore uncharitable for Tinubu’s team to claim that my proposals remain untested.
“What remains unproven is the erratic, trial-and-error nature of the policies so far implemented by this administration, which elucidates our present predicament.”
Abubakar said when he was vice-president, Nigeria got to the pinnacle of Africa’s economies, but the administration led by Tinubu “has relegated us to a disheartening fourth position”.
“The average GDP rate under the Obasanjo administration that I served in was 6.59% and peaked at 15% in 2002; 7.98% under the late Yar’Adua administration and 4.8% under Jonathan compared to the dismal 2.8% of the so-called ‘tested’ Tinubu era. Enough of the pains of the shambolic ‘bolekaja’ economic policy prescriptions!,” he said.
Abubakar added that he did not lose the 2023 general election, adding that “the election was criminally stolen from the Nigerian people”.
