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2023: I’ll Revisit Orosanye Report, Atiku Tells Business Executives in Lagos

Published

3 years ago

November 15, 2022

Eric

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar has made his stand known on a plethora of economic issues Nigeria is currently battling.

The former vice president, who spoke about his recovery plan for Nigeria at the Lagos Business School 2022 Alumni Day which had in attendance business executives, engaged the audience about economic issues, fuel subsidy, foreign exchange policy, debt crisis, power as well as the oil and gas sector.

He also used the platform to pay tribute to the private sector for the successes recorded by the PDP between 1999- 2007.

Atiku, who started his session by giving a brief background with economic gains of the PDP between 1999-2007 including debt cancellation, privatization, banking reforms as well as effective working partnership with the private sector.

On the rising cost of governance, the former VP said he would revisit the Orosanye report and ensure the white paper report is in conformity with the principle of setting up the committee.

He further said his privatization plan is not to render people jobless but to ensure effect governance.

Speaking on fuel subsidy, he noted how the PDP government had phased out subsidy in batches, saying: “I was the chairman for the removal of fuel subsidy committee and I recall how we removed the phase 1 and phase 2 of fuel subsidy. I will continue from were we stopped, remove fuel subsidy totally and channel the subsidy funds back to the economy. In other words, it’s just a fraud.”

He described Nigeria’s debt situation as a mess, saying he would fix it if he is elected president.

His words: “If you are talking about foreign debt, we have done it before, I will engage our creditors and ask for debt forgiveness or cancellation like we did before. Coming to local debt, if we stabilize the economy, we will borrow less, propose a flexible payment plan.

“Again, I want you to compare our records with the current government and you can see who did well economically.”

The former vice president stated that he will reform the oil and gas sector by ensuring the right investors are engaged such that Nigeria’s crude production increases while ensuring the privatization of the three refineries in the country.

According to him, with such policies in place, it will ultimately make Nigeria an oil production hub.

He equally vowed to ensure proper funding for public education, arguing that it should be enjoyed by children of the poor for free.

He also promised to reposition the UBE set up in 1999 to its main purpose which is to reduce out of school children in the country.

When asked to comment on the autonomy of the CBN, Atiku said the current managers of the apex bank are taking a cue from the current administration ”which lacks direction.”

Headline

Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement

Published

20 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.

In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).

The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.

The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.

The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.

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Supreme Court Upholds Election of Monday Okpebholo As Edo Governor

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.

In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.

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‘Overthrow’ Comment: Tinubu’ll Be Removed by Votes, Not Bullets, ADC Replies Presidency

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, said President Bola Tinubu will be removed through the ballot and not bullets.It dismissed insinuations that the coalition is interested in truncating democracy in Nigeria.

ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused Tinubu of laying the foundation for a clampdown on opposition leaders.

He made the remark in response to a tweet by Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who alleged that the opposition was planning to overthrow the President.

Onanuga had said the coalition had ganged up to overthrow Tinubu’s administration.Rubbishing Onanuga’s comment, Abdullahi described his remark as reckless and unsubstantiated.

In a statement he signed, Abdullahi said Onanuga’s comment shows that Tinubu’s administration is out to intimidate and repress opposition political leaders in Nigeria.

He noted that ADC would explore Democratic means to ensure Tinubu’s removal from office and not by overthrowing him.

The statement read partly: “ADC condemned the tweet made by an aide of President Bola Tinubu, Onanuga, which alleges that the opposition is planning to overthrow the Tinubu government before 2027.

“If anything, it potentially lays the grounds for systematic clampdown on opposition leaders.

“The ADC is not interested in truncating democracy, we are solely committed to saving the nation from the irredeemable incompetence of this government. We are not soldiers, we are politicians.

“We don’t have bullets; we only have the ballots. When the time comes, we will only present our solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to make their choice.”