Tinubu Hits Back At Atiku: I’m Trying To Fix The Economic Rot You Left Behind

The federal government has scolded Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president over his recent remark on the nation’s economy, saying the Bola Tinubu’s administration is trying to fix the mess left by the previous government in the country.

Abubakar was Nigeria’s vice president under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration between 1999 and 2007.

On Monday, Abubakar, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the People Democratic Party, PDP warned of an imminent revolution if the government failed to fix the current economic problems in the country.

The former number two citizen, in a statement released by his Media Office, warned that worsening poverty, hunger in the country could  push citizens to rise against the state.

For instance, Abubakar cited the French Revolution of 1789, the 1917 Russian Bolshevik Revolution, and the Arab Spring, as outcomes of peoples disillusionment against their governments.

He also cited the ENDSARS protest as an example that Nigerians are not immune from protest if they are pushed to the wall, urging the Tinubu’s administration to fix the problems of poverty, security and hunger with immediate effect to avert peoples revolt  in the country.

Reacting, the Presidency in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy stated that Abubakar was just trying to mislead Nigerians, accusing the former vice president of being out of tough with the current realities in the country.

Onanuga explained that the situation that led to the revolutions that Abubakar mentioned do not exist in Nigeria, stressing that the latter has decided to be blinded to the positive developments happening in the country as a result of the reforms of the Tinubu’s administration.

He stressed that the current administration is trying to fix the rot left behind by previous administration in the country, including the Obasanjo’s administration under which Abubakar served as vice president, highlighting some positive results about the Tinubu’s government by key development agencies.

The statement: “Talk is cheap. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his handlers are clearly out of touch with the positive developments currently unfolding in our country.

“Their claim that hunger is ravaging Nigeria, and their comparison of our situation to the unrest in France before the 1789 Revolution or the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, is grossly misleading.

“Their latest statement demonstrates a disconnect from the authentic Nigerian reality, as recent data tells a different story. Just today, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released its figures for August, showing that headline inflation has declined for the fifth consecutive month.

“Over the weekend, the NBS also reported a record trade surplus, with the contribution of non-oil exports to our trade balance now nearly matching that of crude oil at a ratio of 48:52 per cent.

“Our foreign exchange reserves are on the rise, now approaching $42 billion. When President Tinubu assumed office, reserves stood at $32 billion, much of it encumbered. This administration has since cleared over $7 billion in arrears, including $800 million owed to airlines.”