Economy: Fayose attacks Buhari

Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s latest comment that he was pleased with Nigeria’s economic situation as another pointer to the fact that he has lost touch with the economic realities in the country.



Fayose, in a statement on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said it was obvious that the President’s close to three months stay in London had taken his mind off the realities of the economic crisis being witnessed in the country.

He stated, “It is like the President endorsing the sufferings of Nigerians and this is painful.

“That President Buhari, who met exchange rate at N197 to $1, said he is pleased with the economy when exchange rate is now N370 to $1, is a clear indication that the government is being run on his behalf.

“The National Bureau of Statistics, in its unemployment report for the fourth quarter of 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 N400bn 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 government of President Buhari.

“It is clear that the President has lost touch with the real economic situation of the country.”