The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Chief Gani Adams, on Thursday took on the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on the claim that life had improved under Buhari\u2019s watch.<\/p>\n
This was as Prof Akin Onigbinde described the statistics on Buhari\u2019s achievements as \u201cthe reality that we cannot see.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three men were among speakers at the 2nd annual lecture of Freedom Online, which held in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday.<\/p>\n
At the event, which had the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, as guest speaker, both Adesina and Adams were guests of honour while Onigbinde was the keynote speaker.<\/p>\n
Among other dignitaries on the occasion were former governors of Ogun and Abia states, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, respectively.<\/p>\n
Adesina had reeled out statistics on the achievements of the Buhari\u2019s administration since 2015, saying only those who chose to be wilfully blind would not acknowledge government\u2019s achievements.<\/p>\n
Adesina said under Buhari\u2019s watch in 2017, Nigeria\u2019s agricultural export grew by 180.7 per cent; while raw materials export in the same year rose by 150.2 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore we export, it means that, to a large extent, we have satisfied domestic demand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that rice importation had reduced by 90 per cent, saving the country billions of dollars on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about the stock market in 2017? The Nigerian stock market ended as one of the best performing in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive million new taxpayers were added since 2016,\u201d Adesina said, adding that between 2016 and 2017 government spent N2.7tn on infrastructure, \u201cunprecedented in Nigeria\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adesina said it was only those playing politics that would claim not to have seen or felt the impact of government\u2019s achievements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you choose to be wilfully blind, even if they put something in your face you won\u2019t be able to see it,\u201d the presidential spokesman said.<\/p>\n
But in his remarks, Adams said though Adesina\u2019s analysis was beautiful, it meant little to the man on the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made a very good analysis, but by the time we check it, I know you are a very honest person and you are telling us the truth, but with this analysis, I think the grass-roots people should feel the government; they should feel the impact of government by all means.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a regular traveller; I\u2019ve travelled to about 46 countries and I know what is happening in the developed world and when you see most of their economic analysts, they won\u2019t tell you what they are doing theoretically but you will see what is happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
He, therefore, called on Adesina to go back to Abuja and tell the President that the people were hungry. \u201cWhen my brother, Mr Femi Adesina was making the analysis, it got to a point, I was so shocked because I know the background of my brother, Femi Adesina, as a brilliant journalist. When he was at The Sun Newspaper, you\u2019d love to read his articles and for trying to package their government, I was not surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to Adesina, the Aare Ona Kakanfo said, \u201cBut I want you to pass this message to the President because I remember when President Goodluck Jonathan was in power, he said when they are in that Villa, it\u2019s just like being in a prison or a cage; they don\u2019t know what is happening at the grass roots. But coming to this event, we need to pass this information that you can tell Mr President that Nigerians are suffering. Ebi n pa awon ara ilu (the people are hungry).\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, Onigbinde had described Adesina\u2019s analysis as \u201cthe reality that we cannot see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Onigbinde said, \u201cI welcome my friend, Adesina, telling us the reality we cannot see; we are not wearing glasses, these are things I encounter on a daily basis. I have heard about the Metro Rice in Ogun State, I saw it only on television; it is not in Daleko Market and the rice is also not in Kuto.<\/p>\n
\u201cI live in Bodija, I can\u2019t see this rice. But Femi is my brother, he has a duty to direct our gaze to what we cannot see and we begin to see things in our imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his lecture, Fayemi, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Investment and Trade, Akin Oyebode, said Nigeria must commit huge investment to health care and education.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo economy can develop without a healthy and competent workforce. Therefore, education and health care are critical social investments required to develop our nation. This is why we must continue to expand the health insurance and ensure that the poorest people get coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Chief Gani Adams, on Thursday took on the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on the claim that life had improved under Buhari\u2019s watch. This was as Prof Akin Onigbinde described the statistics on Buhari\u2019s achievements as \u201cthe reality that we cannot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":72987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2],"tags":[808,1672,19079,20554,38430],"yoast_head":"\n