THE main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the approval of President Muhammdu Buhari’s request for a fresh $22.7 billion loan by the senate on Thursday, saying that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)was only out to repress and plunge Nigerian citizens into more hardship.
The PDP in a statement issued in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, particularly called out senators under the platform of APC who it said have further shown that their party does not have the interest of Nigerians at heart with such approval.
It said it was distressing that the APC senators approved the loan, even when the Buhari Presidency has not justified the request; a situation that validates apprehensions that the APC senators have become rubber stamp legislators.
“The fact that the $22.7 billion loan request brimmed with unexplained, obscure, over-bloated and questionable subheads, such as the scandalous $500 million dollars (N180 billion) smuggled in under the guise of upgrading the NTA shows that the APC and a cabal in the Presidency are in a huge financial racket, for which they are ready to plunge Nigerians into more suffering.
“In approving the loan, even after it was clear that Nigerians are averse to it, the APC senators have confirmed that they are in league with other APC leaders to fleece our nation and bring more hardship to Nigerians,” PDP said.
The party noted as disheartening that under the Buhari Presidency the country’s foreign debt has continued to accumulate with nothing to show other than excruciating unemployment rate, decayed infrastructure, a worsening governance system, escalated insecurity and unprecedented poverty.
It however, commended the PDP senators for standing with Nigerians in fearlessly rejecting the loan as it would bring more hardship and further mortgage the future of our nation.
The PDP therefore called on Nigerians to unite in defence of the nation by raising their voices to demand that senate reverses this unpatriotic approval, “which is completely against our national interest.”
Abeeb Alawiye formerly works with The ICIR as a Reporter/Social Media officer. Now work as a Senior Journalist with BBC News Yoruba. You can shoot him an email via [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @habsonfloww