FORMER Spokesperson of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign
Organisation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode has described the 2016 budget as
presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint National Assembly as
that fueled by insincerity.
According to him, it was ironic that former governor Asiwaju Tinubu;
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Governor Nasir El- Rufai
who kicked against deregulation during former President Jonathan, have
suddenly become great supporters of deregulation.
In a statement he signed yesterday and made available to Journalists in
Abuja, Chief Fani- Kayode who accused Buhari’s administration of spending
money like a drunken sailor, alleged that the government was borrowing as
if there was no tomorrow.
The former Aviation Minister who noted that the government was mortgaging
the future of Nigeria, Nigerians and our children,said, “The 2016 budget
is fueled by insincerity, shrouded in fantasy, built on tall dreams and
spawned by deceit, ignorance and the illusion of change. It is bloated,
unrealistic, expensive, cosmetic and it will not result in anything good.
“In order to fund part of the budget the government intends to borrow
money and this will throw our country into even greater debt. What a
tragedy this is given the fact that in 2007 Nigeria was debt-free. The
Buhari administration is spending money like a drunken sailor and they are
borrowing as if there is no tomorrow, mortgaging the future of our nation
and our children.
” We need far more fiscal discipline and seriousness than that if our
government really wishes to improve the economy and better the lives of
ordinary people.
“Meanwhile the Federal Government has said that President Goodluck
Jonathan is responsible for today’s long fuel queues even though he left
office 7 months ago.
” They seem to have forgotten that in 2012 it was their group, led by Bola
Tinubu, Nasir El Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi and President Buhari himself that
aggressively opposed deregulation and almost brought the whole country to
a standstill with protests and riots all over the place in their efforts
to prevent the government from removing the oil subsidy.
“Had it not been for their pettiness, lack of understanding,
shortsightedness and double standards the subsidy would have been removed
three years ago and fuel queues would have been a thing of history. Sadly
they lacked the foresight to appreciate the virtues of that policy and
today they have the nerve to blame Jonathan for the mess that they
themselves essentially created.
“They have been in power for 7 months now: it is time for them to step up
to the plate, start taking responsibility for their own actions, do a
better job and stop blaming Jonathan for their own miserable and avoidable
failures.”