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Presidency’s Attack On Us, Kick Of Weak Horse, PDP Boasts
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the attack by the Presidency against the party as a feeble kick of a weak horse and a failed attempt to beguile Nigerians.
It would be recalled that the Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, had in an essay, yesterday, likened the PDP to a “university of lies,” which Nigerians are not interested in bringing back in 2023.
Reacting to the development, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, yesterday, said the main opposition party “is not surprised that the Buhari-led Presidency is rattled by the bitter truth that Nigerians are fed up with President Muhammadu Buhari as well as his All Progressives Congress (APC), and are rallying on our platform to rescue our nation from misrule.”
The statement read in part: “It is indeed pathetic that the Buhari Presidency thinks that it can beguile Nigerians again after all they got from it in almost six years are failed promises, a wrecked economy, weak currency, excruciating poverty, surging unemployment, unbridled treasury looting, patronizing of bandits, terrorists and kidnappers, double economic recession and a rapid decline to the horrible status of a failed state.
“Under President Buhari, all security, economic, and social indicators have gone negative. It, therefore, amounts to a slap on the sensibility of Nigerians for the Buhari Presidency to attempt to compare the once thriving lives of Nigerians under the PDP, to the sorry state of affairs in our country, which has become a terrorist haven and world poverty capital in a space of six years.
“What can the Buhari Presidency say to the fact that when President Buhari took over power in 2015, our economy was rated one of the fastest-growing in the world with Fitch’s B+ rating, only for his administration to wreck it within six years, turned our country into a beggar nation that is now borrowing from all parts of the world?
“When President Buhari took over from the PDP, our naira was at N160 to a dollar. Today under the incompetent and corrupt administration of APC and Buhari, our naira has fallen to almost N500 to a dollar, wrecking our national purchasing power and making Nigeria an object of jest among the comity of nations.
“Why won’t Nigerians be fed up with the Buhari Presidency when under its watch, more than 30 million businesses have collapsed, while over 60 million Nigerians have lost their means of livelihood due to obnoxious economic policies that scare away both domestic and foreign investors?
“Why won’t Nigerians be fed up with the Buhari Presidency when under its voodoo economy, a liter of fuel, which sold for N87 per litre under the PDP, now sells as high as N170 to N200.
The PDP further stated that under the watch of President Buhari, “staple food has gone beyond the reach of the majority of Nigerians so much so that a bag of rice which sold for about N10, 000 now sells for N30,000; that a measure of garri which sold for N100 now sells for N350 to N400 and a litre of palm oil which sold for N200 now sells for up to N600? The list is endless.”
The statement continued: “Under Buhari’s watch, most families cannot afford basic necessities of life; parents cannot pay their children’s school fees, abandoned projects litter the nation; hunger and starvation, divorces, broken families, strange disease and sudden death have become so prevalent that compatriots prefer suicide and slavery mission as options.
“Is it not distressing that terrorists that had been pushed to the fringes by the PDP administration have resurged and now being patronized by government officials as they ravage our communities and behead our citizens?
“The only achievement by the Buhari Presidency is stagnating the economy, mortgaging of our sovereignty through the accumulation of foreign debt, increase in taxes and tariffs, reneging in all its promises, and making life unbearable for the people.
“As a party, the PDP challenges the Buhari Presidency to search its conscience, reflect on the devastations it has brought on our nation and accept that life is better under the PDP.”
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.