Salihu Lukman, former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making excuses about the current hardship in the country.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, Lukman slammed those blaming former President Muhammadu Buhari for the current hardship Nigerians are going through.
Recall that, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had said President Tinubu inherited a bankrupt country and an almost comatose administration.
However, the former Director General of APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) further maintained that instead of blaming Buhari, APC leaders, including Tinubu should take responsibility for the ex-President’s failure and take the needed initiative to improve Nigerians’ lives.
The APC chieftain urged Tinubu to admit that the current hardship is primarily due to fuel subsidy removal and floating the Naira against other major currencies without proper planning.
He further warned that the APC government cannot ‘Renew the Hope’ of Nigerians by giving excuses.
The statement reads, “As members and leaders of the APC, we should take responsibility and take the needed initiative to make life better for all Nigerians. If anything, we should justify the confidence of Nigerians in giving us the mandate to continue to rule the country even after being unable to meet the expectations of Nigerians in many respect.
“Unarguably, Nigerians voted the APC and President Tinubu in the last general elections very consciously and confident that under the leadership of President Tinubu the challenges facing the country will be addressed.
“Excuses would only confirm that we are in denial that a government produced by our party is perhaps responsible for Nigeria’s challenges. Once we are in denial, it also suggests that we are going to grandstand when we initiate actions that worsen the situation or fail to initiate actions to resolve the problem.
This will simply mean being dishonest, which will narrow our responses to making excuses for our failure or inability to meet expectations of Nigerians. This must be avoided. It is quite worrisome that coming from a party envisioned to be progressive we are giving excuses. How can we Renew the Hope of Nigerians by giving excuses. We must appeal to our leaders to stop giving excuses and take responsibility.
“If we are to be responsible, we should admit that the current hardship facing Nigerians is largely a product of two critical decisions taken by the government of President Tinubu. The two decisions are withdrawal of fuel subsidy and floating the Naira against other major currencies. No doubt, these are very necessary decisions and President Tinubu deserved every commendation for those bold decisions.
“Part of what is very glaring is that the decisions were taken by the government without proper planning. Withdrawing subsidy without addressing the question of what needs to be done to guarantee local production, we are bound to have the current mess of skyrocketed increase in prices of petroleum products. Similarly, floating the Naira against other major currencies without taking the needed steps to reduce imports will also produce what we have today whereby the value of the Naira is permanently on a downward slide.
“With respect to local production of fuel, there have been so many references in recent times about repairs of refineries and commencement of production by Dangote refinery. Where are we with all these should the information coming from our leaders and not excuses.
“For President Tinubu to earn the trust of Nigerians, he must first and foremost accept that as APC leader, he is equally responsible for the failure of former President Buhari.
“Rather than giving excuses, we should be telling Nigerians what we are doing to address their problems. However, being an APC government, which succeeded a previous APC government, it is disrespectful to Nigerians to give excuses about the current state of harsh living conditions in Nigeria by blaming previous governments.”
