PDP, Buhari differ on ex-ruling party’s 16-year rule

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the Peoples Democratic Party, which ruled Nigeria for 16 years, did not do anything all through its rule.

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the Peoples Democratic Party, which ruled Nigeria for 16 years, did not do anything all through its rule.

Buhari said this while addressing journalists in Daura, his hometown in Katsina State, on Monday after attending Eid prayers, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu.

“I want Nigerians to realise that what this government inherited after 16 years of the PDP government was no savings, no infrastructure, no power, no rail, no road and no security,” Buhari stated.

The President, however, argued that within a year, his government was able to crush the then rampaging Boko Haram militants.

He said he had intensified the war against corruption as those who diverted public funds had started returning the money, stressing that his war against corruption was not one-sided.

Buhari added, “Before the elections, we identified three major problems confronting our country.

“We first secured the country, for security is key to development. We first dealt with the Boko Haram menace and now, we are dealing with the militants.

“Through the Central Bank of Nigeria and an inter-ministerial committee under the Vice-President, we are working out jobs for graduates.

“We are equally tackling corruption which is a continuous. We are trying our best and we want Nigerians to do their best too.”

The President thanked Nigerians for supporting the Federal Government’s policies, programmes and actions aimed at improving security, revamping the economy and combating corruption.

‘‘We should thank God this year, the reports I’m getting, which are very pleasing, is that we will have a bumper harvest this year,” the President added.

Buhari will return to Abuja after the two-day public holiday

But the PDP has described the claim by the President that the party did nothing for 16 years as a lazy man’s talk.

It said Nigerians should realise that they had mistakenly elected a wrong person as the nation’s President.

A member of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents on Monday.

Adeyeye wondered whether the President knew the implications of what he said or not.

Adeyeye stated, “We have asked the President to sit up and work instead of lamenting every day. His lamentation won’t solve the problem he ought to solve.

“By the way, the Nigerian government under a PDP government tarred 36,000 kilometres of road under six years.

“The President said there was no railway and he went to inaugurate one of those a PDP President almost completed a few days ago.

“Does he know the salary of workers in 1999 and how much they earn now? He should ask how much university lecturers were earning before a PDP President increased their wages.

“The PDP government was also paying salaries as and when due; we were not owing.”

The former ruling party spokesman added, “Under the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP government created 13 universities, yet the President said we did nothing?

“He should be reminded also that we built power stations and also revolutionalised the industrial sector. When the PDP government was leaving, we had the best growing economy in Africa.”

Adeyeye asked the President to tell Nigerians if his government had bought new equipment for the Army to fight the Boko Haram war.

“All the equipment this government is using to prosecute the war was bought by the PDP government,” he added.

Adeyeye insisted that the alleged transformation of airports in Nigeria was handled by the PDP government.

He also denied the allegation that the PDP government did not save money for the 16 years that it was in power.

He said, “We created the Sovereign Wealth Fund, where money was kept. We also had the Excess Crude Account, where money was being kept.

“But the rebellion against the account came from those who are the doyen of the President and his party, the All Progressives Congress, today.

“The PDP government was able to cancel foreign debts under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Is that not an achievement?”

Adeyeye asked Nigerians to beg the President to save them from unnecessary diversion and face the job he was elected to do based on his campaign promises.

APC not cause of Nigeria’s economic recession –Minister

Meanwhile, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Alhassan, has said the APC is not responsible for the country’s economic recession.

Alhassan also stated that the Buhari-led government was determined to address the myriad of challenges facing the country including the economy.

The minister said this on Saturday in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State when she met with the APC women drawn from the 25 local government areas of the state.

Alhassan, who was represented on the occasion by the Coordinator for Women Empowerment, Chief Akukalia Angela, assured the people that the present administration was passionate about developing women and reducing hunger in the country.

“The present process of economic recession is not caused by the APC-led government; rather, it was caused by the immediate past government, who looted the nation’s treasury and threw the people into hardship.

“The APC will do everything humanly possible to put Nigeria back on the right positive track,” she said.

She added that the ministry had begun the distribution of forms to women organisations and groups through the National Empowerment Fund to various states to assist them in their chosen professions.

The APC Woman Leader in the state, Dr. Janeth Oyubu, while pledging the support of the APC women in the state for the government, alleged that the PDP government had hijacked all the palliatives initiated by the Buhari government.

Oyubu added, “Don’t be carried away with peanuts from the ailing PDP. I can assure you that APC has all it takes to transform your well-being by empowering you so that you can be helpful to your family and the society.”

BY OLUSOLA FABIYI, ENIOLA AKINKUOTU, OVIE,OKPARE AND OLAIDE OYELUDE