National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, on Monday, November 9 issued a note of warning to President Muhammadu Buhari demanding that disparaging comments about the nation’s economy come to an immediate stop.
Tinubu who stated this through an editorial titled “Mr. President, some inspiring words please,” published by NATION insisted that the President needed to change his communication style and choose his words with caution.
Others have accused the President of relentlessly pushing to demarket the nation.
Before now, Tinubu had on November 2, in a piece titled “No Time for Remorse, Mr President” slammed Buhari’s relentless lamentations over Nigeria being “broke” while lobbying foreign investors.
“If a lot of our money has been stolen, what is the progress in getting them back? We need the money. We don’t want a President who will lament,’’ Tinubu stated.
This warning came hot on the heels of President’s remarks at a press conference after the India-Africa Summit, which took place in India; Buhari admitted that Nigeria is indeed broke and was struggling to pay salaries.
Buhari added that in the coming days he would have to prune the number of Ministries to remedy the situation.
National Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisah Metuh in reaction slammed the President by drawing the attention of Nigerians to the “harmful consequences” of the unabated negative statements from the very father of the nation, Buhari, on the economy and the general image of the country.
“It is worrisome that in the last six months, the President, instead of making efforts to harness resources and grow the economy, has rather continued to apply himself, perhaps unwittingly, to demarketing the nation and scaring away investors through negative labeling of Nigerians and unwarranted unhealthy portrayal of the nation’s economy.’’
However, Buhari while receiving Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s submission of the last batch of confirmed Ministers stood his ground insisting he was not “lying about the economy.”
His stance on saying the truth drew condemnation from the PDP, a cross section of APC loyalists and Tinubu.
“Having said that, however, President Buhari needs to remold his communication style. The religious-minded — or even the plain fatalistic — talk of the enormous power of the tongue. That simply means: whatever you say may well, in the final analysis, be your ‘portion,’ to use another religious-speak.
“That is why the President and his handlers must embark on more inspiring ways to present the unflattering economic situation (the woes of which about everyone can feel), even as they rigorously think out of the bog,’’ Tinubu stated.
“Hearing every time that Nigeria is broke, or that the economy is in near-collapse, and other ultra-negative war cries, have a tendency to paralyse. How do you rouse a paralysed people to buckle up and work at salvage?”
Tinubu went on to suggest that the President must be more economical with the truth in the future.
“Without vaulting to the other extreme of flippant optimism, the President should be more positive; and provide a sunny face of the economy, even as his economic team x-rays the rather grim fundamentals; and come up with fresh thinking.
“Yes, the President should tell Nigerians the truth — his personal integrity, after all, played a big role in his presidential win. But it must be truth wisely, rather than starkly, told.
“That measured optimism, of branding Nigeria’s a challenging economy, yet not at all beyond redemption, backed by a clear-cut policy direction, should provide the double elixir of caution and hope that should inspire both Nigerians and foreigners, and eventually salvage the economy.”