● Asks Tinubu to come and debate issues in the open
The Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Prince Adewole Adebayo has called out President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying this is not the time for him to stay away from public. “Come out of hiding”, Adebayo said to Tinubu while launching a book containing an agenda of what he will do if he is elected president.
Making the presentation on Tuesday in Abuja, the SDP flagbearer taunted Tinubu, accusing the former Lagos State governor of being unable to guarantee transparency and accountability in the way the nation’s common wealth is being managed.
Adewole asked Tinubu to explain what has happened to the funds that he insists was saved from the removal of the fuel subsidy which has reportedly pushed more citizens into what is being seen as abject poverty.
He said the time has come to allow knowledgeable persons who understand the nature of the problem that challenges the people and how to manage the country to take control of the reins of power even as he alleged that suspected looters of the nation’s treasures have taken over the handling of national affairs.
Jabbing at the country’s Commander-in-Chief, the SDP strongman toyed with what is known about the president’s academic record, observing that the teachers who taught him in his school days are alive and well known while he still has a recollection of those who were classmates and schoolmates.
X-raying the country’s hydra-headed challenges, the SDP candidate said it was regrettable that because Nigeria does not appear to have “philosophy kings”, the country’s economy, social and political life has been badly mismanaged over the years.
Adewole said the SDP is determined to get Nigerians to say goodbye to poverty, stressing that the book released in Abuja contained a collection of workable steps that could be taken by any Nigerian leader to rescue the country from poverty and enthrone prosperity.
Acknowledging that Nigerians want to see their leaders debate, he said there was very little that the nation’s President would gain by dashing abroad and trying to avoid public scrutiny or open debates.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier urged the political class to focus on issues, thus suggesting that his team would depend on the administration’s scorecard.
Of late, experts as well as local and international groups including the IMF and Moody are reporting that Nigeria’s GDP and economic outlook are gradually improving.
The nation’s foreign reserves have risen to over $50 billion, the first time in 17 years while the non oil sector based on statistics is contributing to the country’s earnings more than ever before.
