President’s Meeting With Governors Did Not Address Root Cause Of Economic Crisis- PDP Chieftain
The recent meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the thirty-six state governors aimed at finding solutions to the insecurity and the rising cost of living in the country will amount to nothing.
Former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party, Barr Ray Nnaji, stated in Enugu on Monday. According to him, the governors and the president failed to tackle the root cause of the nation’s problems.
Advertisement
Quoting him, “There is no positivity from those decisions. They know where the problems lie. You can’t remove the fuel subsidy and float the naira, and expect something different. The cost of things is too high, and they are worsening every day.”
He said if the leaders were sincere towards finding lasting solutions to the prevailing economic situation, they would have announced cost-cutting measures in governance.
In his words, “They did not discuss cutting their own cost of governance. These meetings are just jamborees. It is theoretical. Such decisions have ripple effects. A bag of cement is now N15, 000. The exchange rate is very high. The governors now have more money as a result of the subsidy removal.
“The common people are suffering. Governments are at the same time imposing taxes on the poor. You don’t impose taxes on overstretched people. Our leaders should have human face. Let them start cutting costs from themselves. State police are not the solution. Federal government removed the subsidy, and seems unaware that it is not working. Even those that go to forests to get firewood due to high costs of cooking gas are being kidnapped.”
Advertisement
On allegations that people of South East are not complaining over the hardship in the country, Nnaji said, “South East has always complained, but other regions kept mum. Southeasterners complained, and when no succour was seen from the government, they resorted to their fate.”
Recall that the meeting held in Abuja, among other resolutions, charged state governors to clear backlog of salary arrears and allowances owed their civil servants. Establishment of state police were also agreed on to reduce insecurity in the country.
