Sending palliatives of N5b, rice to masses through Governors, biggest joke, by PDP chieftain

• Faults bogus size of Tinubu’s Ministers

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State and erstwhile spokesperson to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, PDP’s Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Otunba Segun Showunmi has described the Federal Government’s palliative of rice and wholesale delivery of N5b in the direction of state governors to the masses as a biggest joke.

Showunmi, who spoke with Journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, likened the delivery of the palliatives of rice and N5b meant for the masses through State Governors to ‘giving the fish to the cat with the expectation of delivery to the rat’.

The former spokesperson of PDP presidential candidate in the last general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, equally faulted the large number of Ministers appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite the nation’s lean resources.

In his speech entitled, “APC’s 48 Imprudent Ministers Of Nigeria -Atiku/Okowa’s PDP’s Cabinet Would Have Been Lean And More Equitable”, Showunm said, :should the government be that large at a time when a lean cabinet seems more needful given the financial state of the country?

Continuing, he added, “Can a nation be in dire straits and those who created the financial and governance mess be shoving it in our face as though we have become a captured nation with no way out of the slavery of helplessness”.

On the issue of the number of Ministers appointed by the President, the PDP chieftain said, “First, should the government be that large at a time when a lean cabinet seems more needful given the financial state of the country? “Can a nation be in dire straits and those who created the financial and governance mess be shoving it in our face as though we have become a captured nation with no way out of the slavery of helplessness

“The big issues before the nation in no particular order are, accountability and justice, stabilizing the Naira, security, national cohesion, the economy (jobs) and national reorientation to mention but a few.

“In the last nearly 82 or so days, our new helmsman has demystified himself and whatever toga of competence that was mouthed, unfortunately they neither allowed the media to ask questions during the campaign nor allowed for sober interrogation of the issues by the stakeholders who seemed to have been hoodwinked with irrelevances as against asking the critical how.

“They have now resulted to bragging and raking and policy summersault.

“The biggest joke is a palliative of rice and wholesale delivery of N5B in the direction of state governors which to my mind is like giving the fish to the cat with the expectation of delivery to the rat, brilliant indeed.

“They have not accepted that it’s either you deregulate and take your hands off the pricing of petroleum products or you interfere with it in a veiled return to the subsidy you claim are unable to sustain, confused lot.

“The window and floating of the forex by the CBN is unfortunately not yielding anything but misery; typical of people who act before they think in a knee-jerk trial and error manner, voodoo economics, oh I forgot they have no capability or interest in figuring out and placing consequences on those who ran the forex aground, now at last check the difference between the bank rate and the black market rate still gives a reasonable headroom for illegal profit, arbitrage they sought to avoid.

“First, they scrapped the Niger Delta ministry, then they hurriedly put it back, “Someone should pinch me to wake up not just me but a captured people who must, barring the ruling of the court, endure a long road to freedom.

“There is no point saying the obvious in terms of the lopsidedness and favouritism that the cabinet has shown.

“Well, let us now get ready for the consequences of what is before us in this elephantine cabinet that has just been inaugurated.
“Nigerians must learn that election choices have consequences and now I welcome us all to dimming hope with nothing assured”, he stated.