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The Presidency has described the call by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, for the resignation of President Bola Tinubu as uncalled for, based on a comparison with the voluntary exit of the British Prime Minister, arguing that the call also reflects a selective and distorted view of Nigeria’s reality as of 2023.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayou Onanuga, said on Monday that Obi forgets “our country does not have a parliamentary system of government like the United Kingdom. We run a presidential system, with the president elected for a fixed term of 4 years.”
He said the people of Ekiti State and senatorial voters of Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers have just achieved a resounding victory for President Tinubu and his party, adding that the election results, a kind of early referendum, show that President Tinubu and his party are popular among Nigerians.
“This should be of more concern to Peter Obi and his new special purpose vehicle, NDC, as we approach the January 2027 elections. Obi should wait until the presidential elections to know what the people think of Tinubu’s government. Using X to harangue the out-of-office president is uncalled for and undemocratic.
” It is important to note that President Tinubu did not inherit a country in tip-top shape. The security challenges we face today are long-standing and deeply rooted. Yet, under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria has made significant and measurable progress. Hundreds of people have been rescued from captivity, including high-profile operations in Borno and the North West. Our gallant troops have neutralized terror kingpins, sometimes with the help of our foreign allies. Beyond 15,000 terrorists have been removed from the streets and forests and security operations have intensified nationwide. President Tinubu has not only supported but also expanded investments in security by employing advanced technologies and drones and appointing a Special Adviser on Internal Security to ensure a holistic approach. Willie Obiano is now the one calling for President Tinubu’s resignation over security breaches in some parts of the country.”
On the economic front, Onanuga argued that Obi’s description of decline and his verdict that “We are in the worst possible condition” ignore verifiable data and global acclaim for President Tinubu’s economic and social policies. President Tinubu inherited what another successor to Peter Obi described as “a dead economy”.
“When he came on board in May 2023, President Tinubu introduced bold and courageous policies that his predecessors had avoided. Since then, the Nigerian economy has recorded positive GDP growth every quarter, exceeding the global average. Trade surpluses have been recorded consistently and foreign reserves have reached new highs: over $50 billion. Oil production has increased from less than a million barrels per day to around 1.8 million, reversing years of decline. expects the Federation’s revenue to hit over This year is $30 trillion, far above the 2022 level of 7.7 trillion naira. By May this year, 15.7 trillion naira has already been raised, more than double the entire revenue raised in 2022. State governments now have more resources to pursue development projects in education, infrastructure, healthcare, housing and so on. The stock market is skyrocketed, with the All-Share index rising from 50,000 to over 250,000, creating wealth for around 6 million Nigerian investors. The Naira-dollar exchange rate remained stable. Foreign direct and portfolio investment is at record levels, reflecting renewed investor confidence, especially in the oil and gas sector.
Onanuga said President Tinubu has also set records in infrastructure provision, building concrete roads that will last 100 years or more in all geopolitical zones of the country and constructing the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry expressways, roads dreamed of for decades.
“Unlike the leaders who preceded him, President Tinubu has proven himself not only to be a reformist and courageous leader, but also an innovator, for example, by replacing expensive petrol and diesel with methane and offering almost two million Nigerian tertiary students with interest-free loans to continue their studies. Are conditions worsening in our country when, in three years of Tinubu’s leadership, we have not seen any disruption of the academic calendar by unions such as ASUU or NASU? This is one of the Presidential Statements Tinubu campaign promises our students: A four-year program will be a four-year program It was a promise well kept, which Obi, in his penchant for bad news, has never sung and will never acknowledge.”
Regarding President Tinubu’s election promises on electricity supply, it is misleading for Peter Obi to parrot the claim that candidate Tinubu would guarantee 24-hour electricity to all. What he actually said on that occasion in Lagos and which Obi and his followers have consistently misquoted, for the sake of malice, was: “By any means, by all means necessary, you will have electricity and you will no longer pay the estimated bills. One promise made will be promise kept. If I don’t keep my promise and come for a second term, don’t vote for me unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t keep it.”
According to Onanuga, the first policy President Tinubu adopted after taking office was to sign the Electricity Law, which allows states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity independently of the centralized grid system. To put an end to fraudulent billing, his administration has rolled out millions of prepaid meters and plans to install seven million more. Energy production is increasing. The government has stepped up the supply of off-grid solar power to schools, hospitals and markets in many parts of the country. The real challenge remains transmission infrastructure and sustainable pricing, which is now being addressed, to attract new investments in the sector.
He however agreed that Nigeria presents challenges, especially regarding the high cost of living, adding that any honest politician will agree that it is a global problem arising from tensions in the Middle East.
“Just recently, as inflation was declining in Nigeria, there was an upheaval to the global economy when America and Israel attacked Iran, and Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, creating disruptions in the global supply system and high prices of many commodities, including crude oil.
“Peter Obi’s call for President Tinubu to resign is childish and hollow. It is not a call to hold the leader accountable. It is simply political grandstanding and an unworthy distraction hours after President Tinubu’s party recorded resounding victories in the weekend polls.
“Leadership means determination to address the challenges facing our country and the economy. President Tinubu is focused on solutions, not rhetoric: investing in reforms, stabilizing the economy, improving security and laying the foundation for a more prosperous Nigeria. He doesn’t wait to learn from Bangladesh, Rwanda or Egypt. He has a team of thinkers and doers. And Nigeria, under his leadership, has been an example for other nations to copy.
“True leadership means staying the course, learning, adapting and achieving results. President Tinubu has proven he is up to the task and Nigeria is on the path to progress.
“With his childish tweet about
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