Recession: “We must apologize to Nigerians now”- Vatsa tells President Buhari, APC
… tasks Gov Sani Bello to Slash Salaries, allowances of all Political office holders
An All Progressives Congress (APC) Stalwart in Niger state, Comrade Jonathan Vatsa has over the weekend called on the President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Nigeria to apologize to Nigerians after the country nosedived into its worst economic recession.
The APC Chieftain who is the former Publicity Secretary of the APC in the State in Minna while reacting to recent report the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) latest report that the country has entered its worst recession in history, disclosed that the only option left for government at all levels now is “a holistic structural adjustment” to be able to cope with the present realities.
In June this year, the World Bank had warned that the collapse in oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic could dip the Nigerian economy into the worst situation since the 1980s.
The former Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism who spoke on the country’s worst economic decline in almost four decades, warned that “we can not pretend; things are bad, so the present situation and structure calls for drastic adjustments in all aspect of our lives.”
Accordingly he said, “the ruling All Progressives Congress must apologize to Nigerians now; Honestly speaking, this was not what we promised Nigerians. Something went wrong somewhere and I think we must be courageous enough to apologize to Nigerians who believed in us and voted for the APC in 2015 and 2019.
“The way things are now, we no longer have any other excuse to give rather than to apologize to Nigerians. Some people might not be comfortable with my opinion but that is the hard truth”.
He also advised the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello to immediately slash the salaries and allowances of political office holders including his own if the government must cope with the present economic realities.
He said “I believe that the first step towards coping with the present situation is to immediately slash both the salaries and allowances of all categories of public office holder, including my humble self. That is the first step.
“And by so doing the government would be able to fund all ongoing projects, especially road projects and pay civil servants their salaries”.
Comrade Vatsa warned that, “the idea of looking for other source of funding for ongoing projects in terms of loan will be a suicidal mission for the government”.
It could be recalled that the governor had in his 2021 Budget speech before House of Assembly two weeks ago disclosed that the government is exploring various funding arrangements for the completion of road projects across the state in addition to seeking necessary attention from the Federal Government to do the needful on its Roads that crisscross the State.
Vatsa who is the Coordinator, Public Affairs to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello advised that “loan as a source of funding ongoing roads projects in the state is not healthy for the government, rather. I am advising Mr. Governor to first of all slash the salaries and allowances of all of us holding political offices in the state.
“From the governor to the lowest person holding political office in the state should be ready to make some sacrifices. This present economic situation in the country calls for practical approach to governance”.
Speaking on the current security situation in the state and the country in general, Vatsa said, “we are faced with the worst security challenge in history as a state and as a country. The system has collapsed and its only God that will help this country.
“The biting hardships is fueling insecurity in the country. We all know that and unfortunately the security agents are well over stretched, you can’t give what you don’t have. We are at a cross road as a nation”.
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