Atiku Abubarkar

Phrank Shaibu, the Special Assistant on Public Communications to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has described President Bola Tinubu’s national broadcast as uninspiring and deceptive.

Shaibu said the nationwide broadcast was a complete waste of time.

He noted that Tinubu’s speech was only done in order to convince the organised labour not to embark on a nationwide protest.

In a statement he signed, the Atiku’s aide maintained that Tinubu’s broadcast was an afterthought after removing petrol subsidy without a clear plan that would have ameliorated the sufferings of the people who have gotten poorer since the All Progressives Congress, APC, took power in 2015.

According to Shaibu: “Tinubu’s speech was hurriedly put together in order to dissuade the suffering masses and the organised labour from embarking on protests. Rather than apologise for removing subsidy without providing a cushion for the poor, he went about accusing subsidy thieves of being behind the current suffering. If he is sure of this, why hasn’t he arrested them?

“Tinubu also lied when he claimed that he had for years been an advocate of subsidy removal. This was a man who in 2012 described petrol subsidy removal as “the Goodluck Jonathan tax” and sponsored protests in Lagos State. After he dubiously got to power, he lacked imagination on how to address the issue and then removed the subsidy but without a plan.”

Shaibu said Tinubu’s so-called plans to provide N50,000 grants to small businesses would be undermined by inflation, exchange rate problems and corruption

He added, “Tinubu says he will provide N50,000 (roughly $60) to 1, 300 nano businesses. This is reminiscent of the dubious trader moni and the monthly N20,000 spent on the public works programme of the last APC government which not only failed to stimulate the economy but also worsened poverty as funds went into private pockets.