The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed concern that over 16 million Nigerians have lost their jobs since the All Progressives Congress (APC) assumed office in 2015.
The development comes as the main opposition party stated that Nigeria will become the headquarters of poverty by the end of this month.
In his address at the 78th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Party in Abuja on Thursday, National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, said the governing All Progressives Congress has mismanaged the Nigerian economy.
NEC is the second highest decision-making organ of the party after the Convention. This is the first NEC since the December 9, 2017 National Elective Convention of the party.
“Since 2015, more than sixteen (16) million Nigerians have lost their jobs. According to the World Poverty Clock, an organization that assesses poverty across the globe using credible data obtained from the United Nations (UN), Intenational Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, Nigeria would become the extreme poverty capital of the world by the end of this month. It will overtake India as the country with the most people in extreme poverty.
“This demonstrates how badly the APC Federal Government has mishandled Nigeria, an economy they took over from the PDP in 2015, as the largest (economy) in Africa.
“The so-called War Against Corruption has bred more corruption. Even reptiles and monkeys have joined! Discerning Nigerians had made it clear that what has been going on is the persecution of members of the opposition under the guise of anti-corruption war while monumental corruption is being perpetrated by officials of the government.
“Just on Wednesday, Transparency International again vindicated our position that corruption was getting worse under this government. In its 2017 index, TI said while Nigeria was ranked one hundred and thirty-six (136) in 2015, the country ranked one hundred and forty-eight (148) out of one hundred and eighty (180) countries surveyed in 2017. And, the situation is getting worse,” Secondus said.
He faulted reports that security operatives had rescued 48 out of the missing 94 school girls abducted by Boko Haram members in Yobe State, adding that the government is misleading the nation on the true state of the missing girls.
“This government is misleading Nigerians that some of the kidnapped girls from Yobe have been rescued, but we have authentic information that the girls have not been rescued,” he said.
While stressing that the Nigerian economy is in tatters, the National Chairman pointed out that security situation in the country has become a nightmare.
He challenged the Presidency to speak up on the report of the global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), which ranked Nigeria low in its 2017 Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
On his part, Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, urged all presidential aspirants to come out and speak up against the governing party, even as the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu lamented that the APC-led government has elevated nepotism.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
