The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the move by the Federal Government to draw from the N2.1 trillion pension fund to finance critical infrastructure in the country.
The party based its opposition on what it observed as the lack of commensurate result with the amount of money the government claimed it had already invested in infrastructure, especially through borrowing.
The National Publicity Secretary of the main opposition party, Kola Ologbodiyan, who stated this during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Friday, also alleged that beyond members of the ruling party, the money spent by the government hads not reflected positively on Nigerians.
“How has borrowing translated into living conditions of the people? Whatever they dip hands in only reflect on members of the APC. We cannot be in support of using pension funds,” the PDP spokesman said.
He advised the government to stay away from the fund which he described as the sweat of the people.
Ologbodiyan stated that it was only PDP governors that were doing well in the country as, according to him, the APC was enmeshed in crisis which had distracted them from their focus both at the national and state levels.
Despite that, he said Nigerians must hold the ruling party accountable as “the APC was not brought to power to give excuses.”
The main opposition party also regretted that the ruling party has a huge appetite for borrowing, which the spokesman noted was not healthy for the country.
“The APC has a huge appetite for borrowing. It is not healthy for Nigeria. There is no commensurate infrastructure with the amount it has borrowed so far. We, therefore, want to urge the National Assembly to do their oversight function,” he said.
The PDP also faulted the deadline given for Nigerians to obtain their Tax Identification Number (TIN), saying that its implementation now would put more burden on the people.
The party, therefore, called on the government to extend the deadline to enable it to carry out the necessary enlightenment.
The party said it had not decided on the 2023 presidential election as it wanted to forge ahead with its current reform programme.
On the perceived lopsided appointments being made by President Muhammadu Buhari into federal positions, the PDP asked the president to abide by his oath of office.
“Buhari should abide by his oath. He should respect the constitution in the performance of his duty. He must respect the federal character principle,” Ologbodiyan said.
The PDP spokesman also requested the president to revert to the electoral amendment bill, which he declined to assent to, noting that even when Buhari celebrated the card reader for helping him to office, it was regrettable that he had so far thwarted the move to entrench it in the nation’s laws.
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