FG, PDP tear into each other again

BOTH the Federal Government and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tear into each other again, over the economic hardship in the country. 

Earlier on Monday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had accused the opposition of heating up the polity by instituting a court case on the legality of the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and also advocating a second EndSARS protest over economic conditions. 

At a media briefing in Abuja, he said, “As you know, the folks on the other side have been doing everything in recent times to overheat the polity, distort the achievements of our administration and spread misinformation. 

“Yes, it is very cold out there for the hungry and desperate opposition, but every indication is that they don’t even want to wait for the 2023 election before testing their popularity or acceptability at the polls. 

“How else does one explain their court case seeking the declaration of our convention as illegal? How do you explain their threat of another #EndSARS that pushed Nigerian to the brink? How do you explain their glaring misinformation regarding the nation’s state of affairs? 

“Gentlemen, there is nothing wrong in having a fiery and viable opposition in a democracy. We were there before and we remain the ones to beat in terms of a determined, viable and relentless opposition. But, in our time, not once did we advocate the destruction of Nigeria just because we couldn’t have our way.” 

While urging Nigerians to beware of the opposition, he conceded that the present administration is contending with numerous challenges but using available resources to make impact. 

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The government’s spokesman regretted that Nigeria cannot enjoy the current global rise in crude oil price because of years of neglect of the industry. 

Mohammed remarked that no government had invested in agricultural revolution like that of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying: “They say ‘oh, but Nigerians are still hungry, and the price of the staples is still high’. 

“Our response is that the impact of our agriculture revolution will soon be felt on dining tables across the country. In this regard, we want to appeal to our farmers to be more patriotic by not allowing foreigners to buy their commodities at farm gates.” 

While noting that inflation is also a global phenomenon, he accused the opposition of bandying fake figures, wondering whether there is a country that has not been affected. He assured that the pains will not endure, noting that the government is doing all that is necessary to make life more bearable for citizens. 

Reacting, however, the PDP said the Federal Government is downplaying the excruciating hardship in the country. In a statement issued by Debo Ologunagba, its national publicity secretary, it said what the minister did was to spew another anthology of lies, false and bogus performance claims by the APC administration. 

According to the PDP, “the hurried press conference is another desperate and disoriented stunt by the APC administration to divert public attention from the exposed corruption records of the APC national leadership, as well as the manifest collapse of security, command and control structure under President Buhari.” 

It added that the APC administration attempted again to downplay and treat with levity, the excruciating economic hardship, hunger and other life discounting experiences being faced by Nigerians daily because of food crisis, fuel emergency, high cost of essential commodities and services, closure of schools, insecurity and mass killing, collapse of healthcare system and decayed public infrastructure under its watch. 

“It is the height of impunity and arrogance that the minister could address the media to claim that the APC government has achieved food sufficiency, particularly in rice production, when, in reality, there is famine in the land with the price of food items, especially rice, soaring by over 400 per cent under the APC with its ‘pyramid of lies’. 

“A bag of rice which sold for N7,500 under the PDP now sells for over N30,000; a measure of bean which sold for N350 under the PDP now sells for over N1,000; a measure of garri which sold for N120 under the PDP now sells for N700; a bottle of palm oil which sold for N250 under the PDP now sells for over N1,000. 

“In the same vein, a kilo of meat which sold for N700 under the PDP now sells for N3,000, a litre of petrol which sold for N87 under the PDP now sells for as high as N400 to N500, while a litre of diesel which sold for N110 under the PDP now sells for over N800, yet Lai Mohammed provocatively claims that Nigerians are better off under the APC,” he said. 

The PDP cautioned the APC to note that “its continued arrogance in failure is daily confronting and reminding Nigerians of the statement made by one of its founding members, the late Prince Tony Momoh, in April 2016 and the consequences are better imagined.”