The opposition yesterday challenged the government on its performance rating in the outgoing year.
The government’s New Year plan also received knocks from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP).
In separate statements, they hailed Nigerians for their courage and perseverance, but said the government’s efforts at tackling socio-economic problems have failed.
The ACN, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accused the government of governing by deceit and phantom statistics. It said the government exaggerates its achievement, in addition to making “fake promises to Nigerians”.
The ACN slammed the President’s Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, “for making himself a purveyor of blatant lies and for having the temerity to denigrate the country’s opposition for daring to criticise a non-performing government.”
The party said the government’s claim, through Dr. Okupe, that it will generate 780,000 jobs in 2013 through the ‘Young Graduate Employment Scheme’ and 5,000 jobs in each of the 36 states through SURE-P is the latest example of the Administration’s lies.
‘’Our advice to the teeming young graduates who have no jobs is that they should not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by this promise. They should remember that this same Administration promised to create 10,000 jobs in each of the 36 states through SURE-P in 2012. The year is over, and all we have now are phantom jobs and more fake promises,’’ the party said.
It also urged Nigerians to ensure that their generators are in good working condition, as the government’s promise of stable electricity in 2013 is as unrealistic as it is deceitful.
‘’The Administration said it has generated an all-time high 4,500 mega watts and will increase the number to 7,000MW in 2013. What a celebration of tokenism! In the first instance, the government should be ashamed to tell Nigerians it has been able to generate only 4,500MW from a huge expenditure of 16 billion dollars!
‘’Also, no one needs a rocket scientist to know that 4,500MW cannot ensure stable electricity supply in a country of 160 million people when South Africa, with less than a third of Nigeria’s population, generates over 40,000MW!!!
There you have it, dear long-suffering Nigerians, don’t throw away your generators yet just because of an imaginary power stability promised by a government spokesman who has nothing but disdain for the truth,’’ ACN said.
The party also faulted the Administration’s claim that the bombings and killings in the north have decreased from January to December, calling it “fabricated cold comfort and a disservice to millions of our citizens who are daily being subjected to terror attacks, while President Jonathan, now a professional mourner, resorts to endless lamentation instead of decisive action”.
‘’Well, we are not surprised at the claim of reduced terror attacks by the Jonathan Administration. After all, the same Administration claimed that global anti-corruption body Transparency International acknowledged Nigeria’s progress in fighting corruption, when nothing like that ever happened.
‘’To set the record straight, 750 people have been killed in terror attacks in the north this year, a figure higher than about 570 who were killed in 2011, and not counting the latest killings in Borno and Adamawa states,’’ it said.
The ACN advised the Jonathan Administration to level up with Nigerians by admitting its failings and rolling up its sleeves, so to say, to reverse the ‘transmogrification’ which the President’s Transformation Agenda has become, instead of relying on a hypocritical spokesman to peddle lies to citizens who are already reeling under the failure of an impotent government.
The CNPP yesterday insisted that President Jonathan is afraid of dealing with the Boko Haram sect.
The government, the CNPP said, can no longer guarantee the fundamental rights of its citizens with the state of security abysmally poor and states in several parts of the country, particularly in a state of war.
It said President Jonathan has not visited Borno State, even if only to reassure the suffering citizens there that Nigeria has not forsaken them.
It said Dr. Jonathan has been embracing corrupt officials instead of prosecuting them.
The party faulted the National Assembly members for not being able to carry out any successful probe to gain the trust of Nigerians.
The statement in Abuja by the CNPP Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, said: “Nothing presently works in Nigeria, save for what is merely the semblance of a country to the extent that it is now a shadow of what it was before the military snatched power back in 1996 or when Nigeria joined the comity of nations as a giant of Africa in 1960.
“Considering the size of the country in all ramifications and the series of Federal government’s failed boasts to root out the insurgency by extremists in the northeast of the country, the ongoing carnage is a massive tragedy of international proportion.
What has led to this descent into hell is the blessing and curse of resources which churned out corruption of unfathomable magnitude. This has permeated everywhere from the top to the bottom. Whether pretext or genuine, the President is making a show of coming to terms with the reality on ground but his actions throughout 2012 told Nigerians of a man who will rather groom corruption to thrive to get whatever reprieve he seeks for himself.
“He continues to surround himself with questionable characters, with most of those around him being neck deep in sleaze from Ministers, Special Advisers to heads of extra-ministerial departments. He himself admitted that some directors are richer than governors. A known ex-convict struts the corridors of the Presidential Villa.
“The National Assembly, which should have been representative of the people, is at the epicentre of the corruption in the land. Virtually, everyone with a seat there is on the take and bent on impoverishing the country by appropriating national resources to themselves as recurrent expenditure and allowances. Any probe they conducted in the outgoing year was soon mired in controversy as they tried to benefit at the expense of the populace. Their actions and inaction birthed the dreaded Boko Haram and other militia groups that they are now scared to even address. Unfortunately, this resulting state of insecurity is further excuse for them to increase the looting of the country with nearly 25% of the national budget devoted to security without result because the real purpose of this money is to create a slush fund for the 2015 elections.
“With the judiciary on the gravy train as well, the hope of Nigerians was finally dashed in 2012. From the Supreme Court to the High Courts, most judges are on the take. The result is deficient, putrid and stale governance. Nigeria is dying and only the activation of existing international protocols, laws and conventions can save the situation at this stage. The international community and agencies cannot stand by and watch this plotted disintegration of the country.
“It is on this note we urge nations of earth and the international community to strongly consider: International sanctions against corrupt Nigerian leaders, similar to those imposed on South Africa during the apartheid era, until the country’s corruption perception index improves; travel bans on politicians, high government officials and known associates especially those who have been indicted by the police, EFCC or other anti-corruption agencies; freeze and or closure of questionable international bank accounts, especially those in Switzerland, Cayman Island, Dubai, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Argentina, the US and UK; and vetting of all international businesses that require specified amount of transfers.
“We believe these measures would bring significant improvement in the situation of the country when taken promptly. We urge Nigerians to discard their docility, leave it behind in the outgone year and engage the ruling class in 2013 since the populace are the ones who do not have money stashed away to flee the country in the event of a meltdown.”
