A former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chief Nduese Essien has faulted the claim by APC Presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu that his administration would make the Naira at par with the USA Dollar.
Essien told newsmen in Eket yesterday that such boasts is only meant for the marines, insisting that the APC presidential Candidate has no such magic wand to turn the Naira around to equate in value with the Dollar.
The former South South Caucus Chairman at the House of Representatives maintained that Tinubu’s claim is unrealistic, given the fact that he would likely follow the economic path of Buhari, if voted into power.
“Tinubu made this kind of statement in 2015, when he was campaigning for Muhammadu Buhari, seven years along the line, he couldn’t show the president how to appreciate the Naira, why then should anybody with knowledge of how the global economy works, believe him.”
“That’s how it started in 2014, leading to the opposition against President Goodluck Jonathan on how the Naira will be at par with the USA Dollar if Buhari is voted to power.” Essien said.
The PDP chieftain castigated the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, in which Tinubu is co-traveller, for the abysmal depreciation of the Naira from where they met it at N150 to present day value of more than N600 to a Dollar.
“Why has Tinubu failed to assist President Buhari in arresting the steady fall of the Naira against other international currencies but waiting until he becomes President in 2023 before he miraculously intervened.
“International currencies are not manipulated the way Bola Tinubu surreptitiously took the Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited Headquarters to Lagos away from its area of operations to the detriment of the Oil Producing Areas and has continued to sustain its maintenance there despite all the protestations from the rest of the country and in keeping with international best practice.
“Tinubu can not be trusted because as the leader of the All Progressive Congress, the party has failed the country in all its campaign promises, he has nothing new to offer the nation.” He maintained.
Essien called on Nigerians of voting age to make use of the extension given by INEC on registration for Permanent Voters Card, so as to be part of the leadership recruitment process.
