The Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose has said that he is wondering why President Muhammadu Buhari is satisfied with the economy when even a “two-year-old child knows that there is hunger in the land”.
At a meeting with Godwin Emefiele, governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, and Udoma Udoma, minister of budget and national planning, Buhari said he was delighted over the “improvement” in the economy.
But in a statement on Wednesday, Fayose said i it is clear that the president had lost touch with real economic situation of the country.
“How can a president who has spent more time abroad than he spent in Nigeria be telling Nigerians that he is satisfied with the sufferings of the people? It is like the president endorsing the sufferings of Nigerians and this is painful,” read the statement issued on his behalf by Lere Olayinka, his spokesman.
“That president Buhari, who met exchange rate at N197 to $1 said that he is pleased with the economy when exchange rate is now N370 to $1 is a clear indication that the gois being run on his behalf.
“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its unemployment report for the fourth quarter (Q4) 2016 said 3.67 million Nigerians became jobless in one year and that the number of unemployed Nigerians rose from 7.51 million at the beginning of October 2015 to 11.19 million at the end of September 2016.
“The same NBS, said in its June 2015 to May 2016 National Corruption Report, that over N400 billion was paid as bribes to public officials in Nigeria in one year (June 2015 – May 2016). Yet, they will tell Nigerians that they are fighting corruption when indeed, corruption is thriving under the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of president Buhari.
“As at May 29, 2015 that Buhari became president, bag of rice was less than N8,000, a bag of rice is about N18,000 now, more than 25 states cannot pay workers salary regularly owing to dwindled revenue from the federation account, and someone is telling Nigerians that the economy is doing well?
“It is clear that the President has lost touch with real economic situation of the country. Even a two-year-old child knows that there is hunger in the land, Nigerians are hungry, they are suffering and telling them that all is well is like adding salt to their injury.”