Review your major policies to the best interest of the masses , PDP charges Tinubu

As Nigerians embarked on the first day of protest against bad governance, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday charged the Bola Ahmed Tinu­bu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government to immediately review all its anti-people policies that are asphyxiating life in the country.

Urging President Tinubu to person­ally address the nation and announce major policy reviews, PDP noted that the nationwide protest by Nigerians would not have come if the APC government had dropped its arrogance, insensitivity and show sincere commitment to the citizens by taking steps to address the cur­rent hardship occasioned by its ill-implemented polices. ­

PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Hon. Debo Ologun­agba, said, “Nigerians can recall that the PDP on several occasions offered advice on the state of the economy to the APC government, the most recent being the PDP’s statement on June 6, 2024, where­in it urged that ‘President Tinubu should listen to the heartbeat of Ni­gerians. There is hunger and desti­tution in the land. The reaction of a hungry people is better imagined! Mr. President, please act now.’

“Sadly, these counsels did not receive the expected consid­eration resulting in the current situation.”

The party said it is alarming that instead of engaging Nige­rians and addressing their con­cerns, the APC allegedly recruit­ed hoodlums to instigate violence so as to justify a clampdown and killing of innocent Nigerians.

“The APC is completely insen­sitive to the fact that more than 120 million Nigerians have be­come destitute and can no longer afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life as poverty rate soars to over 40% because of the life-discounting policies of the APC administration.

“As stated by the PDP on several occasions, any people-oriented gov­ernment ought to have been wary of the suffocating effect of the hasty and ill-implemented twin policies of abrupt increase in the price of petroleum products and arbitrary floating of the naira without due cushioning measures to ensure the wellbeing of the people.”

The PDP restated that these thoughtless policies of the APC administration are responsible for the crippling of the produc­tive sector with the crashing of the naira to over N1,500 to a dol­lar, fuel soaring to over N1,000 per litre, which in turn triggered high costs of goods and services with over 34% inflation rate, over 40% unemployment rate with the closure of millions of business­es and mass exodus of major multi-national companies from our country.

PDP said: “The APC has plunged Nigeria into a human­itarian crisis where millions of citizens are literarily starving and dying of hunger. Sadly, today a bag of rice sells for over N85,000; a bag of beans goes for N150,000; a measure of garri now sells for N1,500 while a measure of cook­ing oil which sold for N1,200 now sells for N12,000 with prices of all food items increasing daily.

“More provocative is that while Nigerians are crying for food, the APC officials in govern­ment are busy looting the nation­al treasury to fund their luxury appetite, including acquisition of luxury jets, expensive holidays abroad, renovation of official residential mansions and other profligacies, without regard to the feeling and the pains of majority of Nigerians.

“Also disturbing is the scan­dalous revelation that the APC administration is secretly paying a whopping N5.4 trillion as fuel subsidy for 2024 even after the president announced an end to fuel subsidy.”

According to PDP, what Ni­gerians expect at this time is for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to personally address the nation, announce major policy reviews and order investigation into the alleged looting of subsidy and palliative funds.

“Mr. President should also review all luxury items and pur­chases in the APC government and channel the resources for immediate intervention in the provision of food and other essen­tial commodities to Nigerians,” the party said.

The PDP called on Nigerians to remain peaceful and law-abid­ing in the pursuit of good gover­nance in our country.