Nigerian Presidency rushes to counter Atiku’s criticism on political affairs

The Bola Tinubu administration has fully deployed the Nigerian Presidency’s official handle in running an Op-ed to counter criticism from opposition party leader Atiku Abubakar and citizens who demand good governance, transparency and accountability.

In its recent Op-ed piece, the Nigerian Presidency discredited concerns about Foreign Direct Investment as raised by the former Vice President and People’s Democratic Party Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

In response,

the Nigerian Presidency claimed it had attracted $20 billion into the economy after the President was in India for the G20 Summit last August, when in fact, the bilateral trade volume between India and Nigeria declined from $14.95 billion to $11.8 billion in the space of 2022 -2023.

According to a brief released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the decline was caused by the fall in the volume of oil purchased from Nigeria.

The Nigerian government has since claimed a substantial part of the $20 billion ($14 billion) is already in the country.

Also, the Presidency claimed it found it strange that Abubakar could accuse President Tinubu of a conflict of interest in the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Messrs Hitech Construction Company as he raised concern over his son’s role in Chagoury Group.

However, following the fast execution of the project, media organisations and citizens have demanded evidence of the Environmental Impact Assessment relative to the Coastal Highway project, which has led to demolition amidst diverse controversies.

The Presidency has since accused Abubakar of corrupt practices during his tenure as Vice President from 1999 to 2007, including using his links with Intel to win major concession deals.

How can an older politician be waging a campaign of calumny against the economic fortunes and prosperity of a country he wishes to govern, trying to scuttle a project that will bring prosperity to nine coastal states and the nation? The Presidency questioned.

Meanwhile, Nigerians are awash with staggering economic challenges, while the President, after a year in office, is still spreading the campaign of hope.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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