Former Vice President and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that he will form a government of national unity, that douse the current acrimonious relationship amongst Nigerians and improve security.
Atiku Abubakar in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday, also promised to halt the rate of debt accumulation which has been the hallmark of the current administration, and” instead focus on private-public partnerships in financing development”
The PDP flag bearer said the improved security he’ll foster will allow for investments and, therefore, an improved economy.
He said his government plans to carry out targeted tax rebates to attract foreign and local investments, amongst other proactive measures to attract investments to grow the economy.
“ There is a consideration of a government of national unity that will douse the temperature, unite Nigerians and pave the way for improved security,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President while taking a critical assessment of reports of the National Bureau of Statistics which released the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for Q2 2022, noted that “ the government has been unreasonably upbeat about the reported growth rate of 3.4%
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According to him, “The plain truth is that the economy is in deeper trouble than the APC-led government is willing to admit”.
He challenged the National Bureau of Statistics to “share with the public their recent statistics on poverty, unemployment and commodity prices — the reality of which will leave no hope for the common man.
“The citizens’ level of misery hasn’t changed, and the reasons are obvious: first, the key sectors of the economy, notably agriculture, oil and gas (the country’s cash cow) and manufacturing (that contributes to jobs), are either growing slowly or declining.
“Second, unabated are rising commodity prices occasioned by high energy and transportation costs (and aggravated by the disorderliness in the forex market).
“Also, debt levels continue to rise while the fiscal capacity to service its debts is declining. All these are enough to erase the perceived gains from output growth.
“Having run out of ideas, it appears that our unprecedented level of indebtedness is whetting the government’s appetite for more debt. This is a recipe for macroeconomic instability,” he said.
He reiterated that “increasing debts will never be a solution to our indebtedness.
“My government, if elected, will halt the rate of debt accumulation and instead focus on private-public partnerships in financing development”.
