Policy Debate: Atiku Lampoons Tinubu Over Resort To Prayer To Address Hardship

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has mocked the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for resorting to calls for prayer as a response to policy debate in the face of economic-induced hardship in the country.

The former Vice President insisted that he believed, like many Nigerians, that the economic turmoil in the country was due to the Tinubu administration’s hasty ascent to power, devoid of a coherent plan.

Atiku’s criticisms and recommendations on how he would have managed security, fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange challenge, had drawn a rebuke from the Tinubu Presidency.

However, barely 24 hours after the exchange between the presidency and Atiku, information emerged that First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu and National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu will spearhead a national prayer session aimed at addressing Nigeria’s numerous challenges.

Director General of the National Prayer Forum (NPF), Chief Segun Balogun Afolorunikan, who announced the interfaith gathering in Abuja, said it signified a collective response with hopes of fostering resilience among citizens and inspiring leaders to find lasting solutions for the nation’s stability.

But, Atiku, in a statement, said he was excited to witness the vigorous debate over the striking disparity between President Tinubu’s “faltering economic policies” and the alternatives he has proposed.

He said, “Like many fellow Nigerians, I firmly believe that we find ourselves in this current economic turmoil due to the Tinubu administration’s hasty ascent to power, devoid of a coherent plan.

“In stark contrast, my team not only devised a comprehensive Recovery Plan, but also welcomed significant input from Nigerians, ensuring that our approach was inclusive and well-considered.

“Isn’t it fascinating how the so-called “tested” Tinubu administration’s only policy response seems to be a national prayer led by the First Lady and the NSA? Just a mere 24 hours after I proposed my alternative solutions! What a bold strategy!

“In my humble interpretation of the scriptures, prayer indeed serves as a noble path to follow. However, the sacred texts also counsel us to engage in diligent labour and hard work.”

The former Vice President said it was uncharitable for Tinubu’s team to claim that his proposals remained untested.

He added that what has remained unproven was the erratic, trial-and-error nature of the policies so far implemented by the Tinubu administration, which led to the present predicament.

“Let us not forget that under our economic stewardship between 1999-2003, Nigeria soared to the pinnacle of Africa’s economies, while their administration has relegated us to a disheartening fourth position.

“The average GDP rate under the Obasanjo administration that I served in was 6.59% and peaked at 15% in 2002; 7.98% under the late Yar’Adua administration and 4.8% under Jonathan compared to the dismal 2.8% of the so-called “tested” Tinubu era. Enough of the pains of the shambolic “bolekaja” economic policy prescriptions!

“We cannot hope to tax our way out of the economic quagmire wrought by these misguided experimental policies of a novice administration. Numerous nations, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Monaco (an EU territory with a zero-income tax policy), among many others, have emerged as economic powerhouses by fostering growth through lower taxation. Why then are we fixated on inflicting further hardship upon an already struggling populace?

“One can only speculate that Tinubu’s government is anchored to a mere Tea-plan, which can only lead to a T-pain.

“Furthermore, let me emphasize that the citizens who cast their votes in the 2023 presidential election are well aware that I did not lose; rather, we find ourselves in this predicament because the election was criminally stolen from the Nigerian people,” Atiku noted.