It was mixed reactions from two of the most high-ranking members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the presentation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s medium term scorecard in Abuja on Thursday.
While John Odigie-Oyegun, National Chairman of the APC, had only eulogies for Buhari, Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State and the National Leader of the APC, warned the President to do more to alleviate the severe hardship currently being experienced by citizens.
Oyegun said the victories recorded by the APC in governorship elections held in Kogi, Edo and Ondo states “were a resounding vote of confidence on our party and the achievements of our government”.
“Today, the Nigerian rice sector, for example, has been revolutionised with several brands competing for consumer attention,” he said.
“These brands include Lake Chad rice, Ebonyi rice, Aba rice, Anambra rice, Kebbi rice, among several others.
“At the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our party, we were all delighted to hear the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, announce that starting from next year, we would have no need to import even a single grain of rice. This is an achievement that we should all take immense pride in.
“The safety nets such as the federal government’s Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and N-Power, created by the administration to cater for the poorest and vulnerable Nigerians and other economic initiatives aimed at diversifying and boosting the economy are already being implemented.
“Through careful interventions and monetary policies, we have witnessed great stability and the exchange rate that looked a few months ago like it was running away from us has now been brought under control. Again; this is another great achievement.”
Oyegun also lauded Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign, expressing optimism that “we would win the war sooner or later”.
“Perhaps, the most significant achievement of this administration in regard to the Boko Haram ravaged North East is the establishment of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), whose bill was recently signed into law by Mr. President,” he said.
But Tinubu’s assessment wasn’t all that positive.
He said the administration’s claims of economic diversification “must be more than mere words”. However, he urged the public not to mistake his decision to offer the advice publicly as evidence of “space” between him and the President.
He said such representation would be “ false” and the news about it “will be fake”.
“What I proffer today is done in the spirit of utmost respect and affinity by one who wants the best for this government and for Nigeria. I say these things to encourage the government to achieve the greatness the times demand and of which this government is capable,” Tinubu said.
He also urged Buhari to “move towards true federalism by the balance of power and responsibility between the federal government and the states”.
“In so doing, we attain the correct balance between our collective purpose on one hand and our separate grassroots realities on the other.
“Through no fault of their own, too many parents cannot properly feed and clothe their precious children.
“Too many young adults exist in the void of joblessness, and too many of us do not have the resources to care for the elderly parents who once cared for them. We must cure these wrongs.
“If I were an architect, I would say that President Buhari has used the last two years to wisely lay the deep and wide foundation for a new building called a better Nigeria.”