By Christiana Ekpa
The Labour Party (LP) has said the administration of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is akin to a journey from darkness to deeper darkness.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Director-General, Obi-Datti Campaign Organization, Balogun Akin Osuntokun, LP said “after over sixty days in office, what are Nigerians getting and how are they faring: unplanned and ill-thought removal of fuel subsidy and unification of exchange rates; uncoordinated and confusing policy announcements; exponential increase in the prices of all goods and services especially food and other basic consumables”.
LP also said there is decline in National Savings Rate and erosion of disposable incomes of Nigerians, increasing poverty and insecurity, unimaginable extravagance and exponential increase in the cost and waste of governance exemplified with interminable appointments of litany of ministers and aides and then a most unexamined desire to go to a clearly avoidable war with our very close neighbor and brother, Republic of Niger.
While lamenting the current Socio-Political and economic condition of the country, LP said there is a clear lack of grasp of undergirding ethos of good governance predicated on short, medium and long-term stimulus strategy and policies.
The statement said “Nigeria can ill afford this experimental leadership approach and foray into governance by stealth with no imagination, deep thinking, substance and concrete ameliorative policies.
“In their own words, the APC led government admitted their error of declaring subsidy removal and currency unification without adequate plans to mitigate the potentially huge consequences, as Nigerians are now witnessing in anguish. For APC and their leaders, who claim to have long been prepared for the job of presiding over Nigeria’s administrative affairs, to commit such blunder, at this critical troubling period of our nation’s history, is inexcusable.
“The magnitude of such mistake which has debased and threatens to wipe out businesses with unprecedented worsening of the living conditions of Nigerians cannot be wished away with mere promises without adequate plans.
“Given their unrelenting lies and blame games, some clarifications are imperative. Do Nigerians deserve to have subsidy? Yes, they do as governments all over the world including in advanced countries offer subsidies to their citizens in various ways. Should the subsidy be removed in Nigeria? Yes, it should because it has been grossly mismanaged in an organized crime cartel manner with unparalleled corruption, official malfeasance, and embezzlement of taxpayers’ money.”
The party said in line with it’s belief and promise to create and lead a new Nigeria, it campaigned for the removal of petrol subsidy principally to end the criminal appropriation of national resources by a privileged few and their connected cronies.
It said this was to be achieved through a gradual process, including the effective repairs and functioning of the refineries and activation of compressed natural gas (CNG) opportunities to avoid dramatic increase in fuel price, inflation and pains on Nigerians.
