It argued that Atiku’s financial proposals would have worsened the nation’s scenario.
“Whereas advocating for gradual reforms might sound interesting, Tinubu took measures that ought to have been applied a long time in the past by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss [Olusegun Obasanjo] after they had the chance,” the President’s Special Adviser on Info and Technique, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said in an announcement he issued on Sunday.
The assertion, titled “Our Preliminary Response to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” was in response to a tweet by Atiku, who described Tinubu’s reforms as “trial-and-error financial insurance policies,” blaming the President for the “excruciating ache” Nigerians are enduring.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Celebration additionally famous that, though he isn’t the president, his ideas are “within the curiosity of Nigerians.”
Upon assuming workplace in Could 2023, Tinubu ended the gasoline subsidy regime and unified the overseas alternate fee.
Nevertheless, Nigerians have continued to really feel the repercussions of those and different financial reforms, together with rising costs for meals, transport, gasoline, and different necessities.
In his tweet titled “What We Would Have Carried out In a different way,” Atiku, who served as Vice President alongside former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007, outlined his suggestions for addressing points comparable to insecurity and easing the results of subsidy removing on the general public.
However the President countered Atiku, saying, “It’s simple to preach and criticise a rival’s programmes even when there may be clear proof that the financial reforms are yielding constructive outcomes regardless of the short-term difficulties.”
Onanuga wrote, “Firstly, Alhaji Atiku’s concepts, which lacked element, have been rejected by Nigerians within the 2023 election. Had he gained, we imagine he would have plunged Nigeria right into a worse scenario or overseen a regime of cronyism.
“Abubakar misplaced the election partly as a result of he vowed to promote the NNPC and different property to his mates. Nigerians haven’t forgotten this, nor would they be comforted by Atiku’s monitor document when he managed the economic 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 little religion in our instructional system, establishing their universities whereas permitting others to say no.
“Regardless of his futile try to mislead Nigerians once more in his assertion, it’s telling that the previous Vice President couldn’t dispute the financial reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration as a result of they’re the correct plan of action.”
The Presidency argued that Atiku’s name for a gradual method solely demonstrated his lack of know-how of the extreme points President Tinubu inherited.
“It’s simple to current a flowery to-do listing, as is predicted from an election loser.
“President Tinubu encountered a rustic going through quite a few critical challenges.
“Gas subsidies have been draining sources we couldn’t afford, and there was rampant profiteering within the foreign exchange market,” the assertion learn.
It added that no accountable chief would enable dysfunctional gasoline
subsidies and arbitrage to proceed with out addressing them decisively.
“Alhaji Abubakar requires empathy and a human method to reforms. Now we have no situation with this, because it aligns with our administration’s priorities.
“President Tinubu has persistently emphasised the significance of compassion and defending probably the most susceptible.
“The administration has prioritised social security nets and focused assist for these affected by current financial transitions,” the assertion concluded.