Members of the House of Representatives and the Peoples Democratic Party have said there was no reason to celebrate the May 29 six-year administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as it is marked with bloodshed, wanton killings, economic recession and unemployment.
The minority caucus in the House of Representatives, on Friday, said it had taken stock of the performance of the administration of the All Progressives Congress-led federal government, describing it as a failure.
The caucus stated that the APC administration had failed on all fronts in the last six years, with its failure to “check the worsening insecurity and mass killing of citizens; its intrinsic corruption, mismanagement of our national economy, as well as the unrelenting assault on our national diversity.”
The caucus gave the verdict in a statement by the Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu. The statement by the minority caucus partly read:
“As lawmakers, our caucus is worried that exclusionist tendencies, trade restrictions, nepotism in government appointments, disregard to rule of law, the relegation of constitutional order and principles of separation of powers; abuse of human rights, electoral malpractices, harassment of the opposition and arrogant insensitivity to the sensibilities of the Nigerian people by the APC administration have occasioned instability, economic crisis and avoidable acrimony that is threatening our corporate existence as a country.
“Poor policies by the APC administration have stifled the economy and put the nation in dire straits with a disturbing 33.3 per cent unemployment rate, a scary 18.12 per cent inflation rate, over N32.9tn accumulated debt burden, a progressively devalued currency and collapsed infrastructure.
“Failure of the government to address escalated insecurity challenges has crippled the agricultural sector and disorganised commercial activities leading to imminent food crisis with the cost of food and other necessities of life skyrocketing beyond the reach of Nigerians.”
The opposition lawmakers added, “As representatives of the people, the minority caucus is worried that our nation is heading towards a failed state. We, therefore, urge President Muhammadu Buhari to buckle down and use the occasion of May 29 to address the failures of his administration by taking urgent steps to tackle insecurity, ensure respect for the rule of law, end corruption in his government, adopt a more inclusive approach to governance and engage better hands to manage our economy.”
Also, the PDP cautioned the President to use the May 29 speech to accept his failure in governance and desist from further exasperating Nigerians with his usual prepared text of false performance claims and empty promises.
It said, “In the last six years, President Buhari’s speeches have always been litanies of false claims, empty promises and lame excuses for failures, which the APC, in its penchant for lies, propaganda and beguilement wants to accentuate with their legacy awareness campaign.
“If indeed the Buhari Presidency and the APC have any achievement to showcase, would it be organising an awareness campaign to seek the understanding of Nigerians for its mass failures?
“It is trite wisdom that their works ought to be speaking for themselves like those of the PDP administration, which are still being seen today in every sphere of our national life?
“If they have anything to show, would President Buhari be begging that history should be kind to him for his failures? Would he go to faraway Paris, France, to declare that his administration is being plagued by ill-luck?”