The Peoples Democratic Party Caucus at the House of Representatives on Tuesday tackled the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government over the “worsening sufferings” of Nigerians.
The caucus noted that more Nigerians were hungry due to lack of food while many others were unemployed or under-employed.
In a statement in Abuja, the caucus stated that the APC government won election in 2015, using propaganda as a weapon of “deception” when in reality the government knew that it lacked the capacity to deliver on its campaign promises.
The statement, which was signed on behalf of the caucus by the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, observed that after three years of running Nigeria by propaganda, the government had realised that time was against it.
The caucus added that this was the reason the government was opposed to any criticism of its policies that had failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
The lawmakers cited last week’s incident in Lagos, where the city was shut down because of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to inaugurate some projects. They said the same Buhari, years back, stalled the $100m Lagos modern metro line project.
It noted, “Over and over, it has been proven that the current APC government in Nigeria beats all preceding administrations, including the colonial ones, in the sinister art of deceitful lies and propaganda.
“With fiendish mercilessness, the APC’s 2015 campaign milked the unfortunate abduction of the Chibok girls for every available ounce of propaganda and disinformation against the preceding administration.
“Its campaign rhetoric and official hoopla from the lying minister had included rescuing of the Chibok girls and achieving total defeat of the Boko Haram insurgents.
“Today, the APC government nurses palpable fear over any scrutiny of its errors in Dapchi or its unusual generosity towards Boko Haram, which it promised to defeat but now almost sees as a partner with which to share deep and befuddling confidence.”
The caucus called on the government to heed the advice of American billionaire, Mr. Bill Gates, who during a recent visit to Nigeria, faulted the government’s economic recovery and growth plan.
It said rather than applaud Gates for giving a very honest piece of advice, the government reacted by dismissing the billionaire.
The caucus added, “Although, the APC government is known not to be a listening one, last Thursday, the Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, emphatically stated that the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan was not reflective of the people’s needs.
“It is an open secret that under the APC, Nigerians have fared worse on the misery index; those who were rich before are no longer investing, the poor are becoming poorer while almost 30 million Nigerians are either unemployed or under-employed.
“According to Bill Gates, the APC government’s concentration on physical infrastructure to the detriment of human capital development exposes the undesirable inadequacies in the health and education sectors.”
When contacted, the Majority Leader of the House and Leader of the APC Caucus, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, said his colleagues were merely trying to rewrite history by forgetting that it was the PDP that got Nigeria into the mess the APC had been cleaning up.
He argued that the PDP caucus was playing politics in the hope that Nigerians would forget the past and follow the party.
Gbajabiamila added, “It is election season and I don’t expect my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to say anything different, but facts are sacred.
“I guess they have their own alternative facts. Unfortunately, Nigerians are wiser and I am glad they have admitted to their misdeeds and sins against the people.
“In law, it is called voluntary confession, which is admissible in a law court, in this case the electorate as evidence against the PDP. We in the APC in turn admit to underestimating the level and quantum of the rot they left behind whilst trying to clean same up.
“The question that is up for debate is whether their voluntary confession without more should suffice. Me thinks not. Once beaten twice shy.
“Nigerians are smarter and will not succumb to crocodile and pretentious tears.”
