A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 64th Independence Anniversary Day address to the nation as deceitful, full of falsehoods, designed to divert attention away from bad governance, saying that his claims that the nation’s economy was doing fine and that the insecurity in the land was being frontally tackled were false.
Pearse, the Convener Reset Lagos PDP and also Member, PDP National Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 election, said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday, saying that rather than the economy doing well as claimed by President Tinubu in his nationwide broadcast, the facts showed that inflation at 35 percent remained the highest in history, while “the naira exchanging at 1,700 to one American dollar is at its weakest in living memory.”
According to the PDP chieftain, who is also a Public Affairs Analyst, Tinubu’s claim that foreign investment was rising cannot hold water, saying that it was common knowledge to all Nigerians that his administration’s draconian tax policy was driving investors away from the country on a daily basis, forcing companies into bankruptcy at record rates, with unemployment standing at a record high.
“The President claims the economy is doing well when the facts show that inflation at 35% is the highest in history , and the naira exchanging at 1,700 to one American dollar is at its weakest in living memory.
“The President claims that foreign investment is rising when we all know that his draconian tax policy is driving investors away from Nigeria on a daily basis, forcing companies into bankruptcy at record rates. As a consequence unemployment is at a record high,” Pearse said.
On security, the PDP chieftain equally faulted President Tinubu on his claim that over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders had been eliminated, describing such as preposterous.
Pearse argued that there was no evidence to justify Tinubu’s claim, recalling that when the Israeli government recently eliminated Hamas leaders, it announced the names of those eliminated as well as how and when this was done.
According to him, the reason Nigerians were not told anything about what he termed “this fictitious elimination of Boko Haram terrorists” until today is because nothing of such happened, declaring that Nigerians no doubt knew that this government had failed to combat the menace of kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism in the country.
“The claim that ‘over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders have been eliminated’ is preposterous. Recently, when the Israeli government eliminated Hamas leaders, it announced the names of those eliminated as well as how and when this was done. The reason we were not told anything about this fictitious elimination of Boko Haram terrorists until today is because nothing of such happened.
“In any case, Nigerians know that in reality this government has failed to combat the menace of kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism. We all know that students in their hostels, well to do citizens in their posh estates, traditional rulers in their palaces as well as government officials have all been victims.
“No one is safe and no location is secure. The security situation is so bad that a Financial Times of London report of 13th March 2024 warned that Nigeria is fast descending to the level of a FAILED STATE,” he lamented.
Speaking further, the Convener, Reset Lagos PDP denounced the planned National Youth Conference which will take place for 30 days as announced by President Tinubu, saying that such “is arguably the most disingenuous and irresponsible proposal from him to date.”
Pearse observed that a dialogue that would take place for a whole month would destroy its purpose ab initio, saying that if the young person taking part in such forum happens to be a student, he or she would miss class for a whole month.
“If the youth delegate is employed, he would miss work for 30 days, and if he is seeking employment, he would miss his opportunity to find work,” he said.
He said the purpose behind the planned National Youth Conference by Tinubu was nothing but political to ensure that young people were recruited for his 2027 campaign.
Pearse, therefore, urged all people of goodwill to pray and work hard to ensure that he does not return to office as president, come the next general election, describing him as “a real and present danger to the survival of this country.”
