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Why things went wrong despite Tinubu’s good economic policies – Fayemi

Published

3 months ago

June 15, 2024

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Although Mr Fayemi assured that “things will begin to improve” as the Tinubu-led government “has only been in office for one year,” he maintained that “if things don’t improve, then Nigerians reserve the right to decide what they want to do with us (APC).”

Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi reviewed President Bola Tinubu’s key economic policies on Friday, which he admitted have taken a toll on the living conditions of Nigerians in the first year of his administration.

He referred to the removal of fuel subsidy and the convergence of Nigeria’s foreign exchange platforms announced by President Tinubu in his inauguration speech on 29 May last year.

Mr Fayemi said that although the policies were appropriate, the administration was unduly hasty with their implementation because it did not prepare adequately for the fallouts.

“I think there were some missteps, not that the policy changes are wrong,” Mr Fayemi, a top member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

The former Minister of Solid Mineral Development during the first term of the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged that the Tinubu administration inherited challenges from the previous one, which, he said, made the policy changes necessary.

“I actually think the policy changes made were the appropriate policy changes, but the announcement at the inauguration was a little bit precipitate and did not allow for enough room to prepare the ameliorating circumstances that would address the challenges that were bound to come in terms of inflation with the fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange convergence. And from then, we seem to have gone downhill,” Mr Fayemi said.

The Tinubu administration began implementing the subsidy removal policy on its first day in office, strikingly announcing “subsidy is gone,” in his inauguration address in May last year. However the administration waited for about two weeks before floating the naira to achieve a convergence of exchange rates across platforms.

But, since then, the one-year-old administration of Mr Tinubu has been battling to deal with! the fallout of the policies, including skyrocketing inflation with attendant high living costs.

Who is to blame?
The former governor, who was one of the 22 presidential aspirants that jostled for the APC presidential ticket with Mr Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election, blamed political leaders across the country for the economic hardship Nigerians are grappling with as a result of the policies.

“The political leadership in the country definitely cannot absolve itself of the deteriorating factor of the economic challenges we are facing, and yes, ordinary Nigerians should blame us and hold us to account for not making their lives better,” said Mr Fayemi, who withdrew in the middle of the APC presidential primary election in 2022 to back Mr Tinubu.

But cautioning against generalising the country’s “macroeconomic challenges”, he said each tier of government contributed to the state of Nigeria’s economy.

“Yes, we are a federation and there is a central government which gets to take responsibility, for fiscal policies particularly and monetary policies, as well. But you also must find a way to look at variations in what is happening at the federal centre and in various states to draw a full picture of our trajectory in the democratic journey,” he said.

He also noted that government officials recognised the problems and are “trying to address that to the best of their ability.”

Tinubu, Fayemi’s political, APC journey
Messrs Tinubu and Fayemi are allies dating back to the military-era struggle to restore democratic governance.

Mr Fayemi enjoyed the support of Mr Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, to become the Ekiti State governor between 2010 and 2014.

They remained solid allies until they started having a strained relationship after Mr Fayemi lost his bid to win re-election as the incumbent governor in 2014.

Many believe that the gulf between them widened after the APC won its first presidential election and Mr Fayemi became the Minister of Solid Mineral Development during the Buhari presidency in 2015.

He remained a minister until 2018, when he resigned to re-contest and won the Ekiti State governorship election for a second term.

The APC foundation member has been unable to restore the relationship between him and the president to its good time.

Between APC’s promises and delivery
The former chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum between 2019 and 2022 also assessed APC’s delivery on its promises to Nigerians while campaigning to take the presidency in 2015.

“Am I worried about the way things have gone so far? Certainly,” Mr Fayemi said. “I am a foundation member of this party; I was one of those who drafted the original manifesto that we sold to Nigerians in 2015.”

He said as the director of policy in the 2015 campaign that brought then President Buhari to office, he was familiar with “the vision we shared with Nigerians”.

“I believe our party is still committed to that, but we have fallen short in the relationship between party and government,” he said.

‘Nigerians will decide APC’s future’
He said on Friday that Nigerians would decide the future of their party depending on their assessment of its performance since 2015 when it gained power.

“The reality must also be confronted that the Nigerian people in a democracy have the last word. If they are not happy with our political party, then they have to take the decision on that front,” he said.

Although he assured that “things will begin to improve” as “the government has only been in office for one year,” he maintained that “if things don’t improve, then Nigerians reserve the right to decide what they want to do with us.”

Lapses in APC
Mr Fayemi pointed out lapses in the running of the APC, which he said robbed the party its capacity to hold the government it helped to install accountable.

“We don’t even have the necessary organs within our party functioning as well as they should,” he said, noting that the party has not had its national executive committee, caucus, and elders council.

“So clearly, there are things that the party needs to do that ought to hold the government to account,” the former governor said.

The APC is a product of the merger of three legacy political parties – Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) – alongside some defectors from the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2013.

The party adopted as its core ideology social democratic welfarism which aims to ensure participatory democracy and controlled regulation of the economy in favour of public interest.

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Govt cites security threats, bans Telegram for officials

Published

20 mins ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Ukraine on Friday restricted the use of Telegram for its government, military and security officials, citing “threats” to national security on the app founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov.

“The National Security and Defence Council decided to restrict the use of Telegram in government agencies, military formations and critical infrastructure facilities,” the council said in a statement on Facebook, saying it was a “matter of national security.”

News

Ooni unveiles launch of Olojo Festival, reveals ancestral significance

Published

27 mins ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday, announced the commencement of the 2024 Olojo Festival, revealing the event’s ancestral and spiritual significance.

Ogunwusi spoke at his palace during a news conference on the 2024 Olojo Festival with the theme “Evolving Transformationaly Domestic Tourism With Community Festivals.”

According to him, the festival is significant because of the spiritual exercises that characterise it and the testimonies it attracts.

He said the celebration of the revered cultural event was held annually in the ancient city to celebrate the day of the first dawn.

The Ooni said the festival was in remembrance of “Ogun,” god of iron, who is believed to be the first son of Oduduwa, progenitor of the Yoruba people.

He added that the festival marked the birth of the “Aare Crown”.

Ooni said that several prayers rendered to Olodumare through the iconic “Aare crown” during the Olojo festival had been answered with so many testimonies.

He stated, “Olojo is the festival of dawn and the birth of the crown, “Ade Aare”, the crown of all crowns. The crown that gave birth to all crowns all over the world with all the colours of the rainbow. It is called the spectrum of rainbow crowns.

“The crown does everything humans do, it is a very spiritual crown, very sacred. I am a living example and witness. I have actually charged the crown, I have prayed with it, that I want this done, this particular time.

“This is my ninth year on the throne, going to my tenth year by the grace of God, I have seen a lot of testimonies.

“I will pray with the crown worn on my head, I pray to the almighty God, Olodumare through the crown. I have never seen any failure in it. It is our strong heritage, our strong culture and tradition and we will continue to uphold it forever.

He added that they were not idol worshipers, but rather custodians of their ancestors’ legacy, which continued to benefit them.

“These are things we should not joke about, It is our heritage, we should not compromise it with anything. It is created by nature, by God Almighty who is the supreme being,” he said.

Explaining the nature of the “Ade Aare”, Ooni described the crown as a sacred, mysterious being which bears the nature of humans.

According to him, the crown functions like humans.

He said, “Olojo is the time when the crown comes out for blessings. This is a crown that has life in it till date, right from time immemorial.

“The crown changes the weather, it does not see the atmosphere except once in a year, during Olojo festival.

It’s fake news, Ooni’s palace denies marriage trending story
“In the crown, we see everything complete, we see the day, night, four corners of the world, the northern, southern, eastern and western poles.

“The birth of the crown is actually the first dawn pathfinded by Ogun, which is linked to our celebration.”

The Ooni added, “Olojo is the main new year celebration and this dovetails to everybody’s new yam festival all over because what is used to bring out yams are cutlasses and hoes made with iron.

“This is the time we get beautiful harvests, the time we get wallnuts, bitter kola. For us in Ile-Ife, we still uphold our heritage and that is why we celebrate the first dawn.”

Ogunwusi appreciated the sponsors for the festival.

“I want to appreciate you all, our sponsors, for everything you have been doing. For always responding to my calls. May God bless you and may our ancestors guide you all. I appreciate the state government as well,” he added.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Osun, Abiodun Bankole-Ojo, appealed to sponsors of the Olojo festival to look into the possibility of developing some tourism sites within the state, like the Oranmiyan Groove.

“Please corporate bodies, stop giving us monetary and material gifts, come and develop the Oranmiyan site as a tourist site. Government will not be able to do it all,” he said.

The Olojo Festival Chief Consultant, Ayo Olumoko, urged Nigerians and international tourists to grace the festival.

NAN reports that the Grand Finale for the 2024 edition of the annual Olojo Festival in Ile-Ife, will be held between September 26 and September 30.

On September 26, there will be Ayo Olopon Traditional Game, Festival Cultural Talent Hunt (Audition) and Olojo Festival Colloquium.

On September 27, there will be Ojo Ilagun, Iwode Ile-Ife (Community cleansing) and Oonirisa’s terrestrial message to the world.

September 28 is the festival’s grand finale official ceremony, Ojo Okemogun, and the Aare cultural procession.

September 29 is Ojo Ajoyo (Asekagba), Grand Royal Reception – Invitational, Adire Oodua Cultural Exchange Exhibition and Oonirisa’s Ife Award for Community Service, 2024.

September 30 would be for the Ojo Ibile (Oonirisa’s ancestral traditional propitiation) and cultural talents hunt.

News

Trump Says Israel Will Go Extinct Within Two Years If He Loses US Election

Published

31 mins ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Trump expressed concern about his polling numbers among Jewish voters, lamenting his current standing compared to Harris, the Democratic candidate.

President Donald Trump suggested that Jewish-American voters could bear some responsibility if he loses the upcoming presidential election to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump expressed concern about his polling numbers among Jewish voters, lamenting his current standing compared to Harris, the Democratic candidate.

Reuters reports that Trump claimed that Israel could face extinction within two years if Kamala Harris wins the election, suggesting that Jewish voters who support Democrats would share some responsibility for that outcome.

Speaking to a crowd, Trump stated, “If I don’t win this election, the Jewish community will play a significant role in that. If 40% or even 60% of people are voting for the enemy, Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years.”

He referenced a poll indicating that Harris had 60% support among American Jews.

Although he didn’t specify which poll he was citing, a recent Pew Research survey showed American Jews favouring Harris over Trump by 65% to 34%.

Trump also expressed disappointment over winning less than 30% of the Jewish vote in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Trump reiterated similar sentiments earlier at a summit in Washington aimed at combating antisemitism in the U.S.

The Trump campaign has prioritised appealing to Jewish voters in critical battleground states, where even a small shift in support could influence the election outcome.

In Pennsylvania, for instance, there are over 400,000 Jewish residents, and Biden won the state by just 81,000 votes in 2020.

In response to Trump’s comments, Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, criticised him for his past associations with individuals accused of antisemitism.

Trump has consistently denied allegations of antisemitism, noting his Jewish son-in-law during his speeches on Thursday.