The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have traded blame over the state of Nigeria’s polity.
Representatives of both parties were guests on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.
While Segun Sowunmi from the PDP accused the APC-led Federal Government of capitalising on their gains in the war against terror, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said he would not want to attack the party under any guise.
Mr Sowunmi’s comments come days after the Buhari administration presented its mid-term scorecard, as well as launched a book on the successes recorded by the administration upon coming on board in 2015.
The book was written by the media team of the President, including Mr Adesina and Mr Garba Shehu.
“They have not bought a single hardware, all the equipment they are using to martial out their python dance and crocodile smile are the equipment bought by our government.
“More people are dying in Nigeria today. They will tell us they have won the war, they have not won the war. Then Boko Haram has been demolished, it has not been demolished,” Sowunmi said.
On the issue of the economy, Mr Sowunmi berated the APC for failing to create an enabling environment for business to strive in the country.
He said, “The problem they (APC) have is that they have not completely convinced themselves that it is not the business of government to build businesses.
“The simple business of government is to create an enabling environment, do the laws that are stable, be consistent, and have policies that can allow private sector people take advantage.”
However, all seem not to have gone down well with the presidential spokesman as he quickly countered the claims.
Adesina said, “The government (PDP) you are referring to is the inglorious era of this country. It looted excess crude account, it looted the foreign deposits, and it looted everything dry in this country.”
With respect to the Agriculture sector, the PDP pointed out that the Jonathan administration had appointed Mr Akinwunmi Adesina to man the sector based on his level of competence.
He also explained that the fertilizer programme was initially condemned by APC, but Adesina’s emergence as the President of African Development Bank is a clear indication of his sterling qualities.
The presidential aide had while speaking on the issue of Power said the federal government’s target is to generate 10,000mega watt by 2019.
He also explained that the country has been generating 7,100mw as at two weeks ago, a situation that suggests an improvement over the past years.
The presidential aide noted that when the All Progressive’s Party came on board in 2015, the country was in a comatose as virtually every sector was looted, coupled with the insurgency ravaging the North-East.
“Everybody in Nigeria knows that when it comes to the insurgency, the war has been largely won. It is not completely won, but it has been largely won,” he said.
Mr Adesina added that the government is in the know of the Fulani/herdsmen clashes, stressing that it is not folding its hand in tackling the menace.
“In all the other areas, it is not as if the government is idle. It is not folding its hands. If you want the real statistics, maybe the Inspector-General of Police or any other head of security agency will give you.
“In the book, you will even have the statistics given you by the Department of State Security. This is a fact book. It is not meant to depress Nigerians. It is meant to show them that something is being done.”
