The Federal Government has blamed the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the economic hardships Nigerians are facing.
“It is a fact that many of the PDP Governors have not paid N30,000 minimum wage to their workers since it took effect more than 4 years ago. All of these anomalies in their states contribute significantly to the economic pressure their citizens face,” the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said on Tuesday.
The statement by the minister comes a day after the PDP governors decried the free fall of the naira and its attendant consequences comparing the economy and security challenges of the country to that of Venezuela
In his response, the minister said, “Though our country is going through some rough patches, which are being addressed by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our situation is nowhere near what is happening in Venezuela.”
He also asked Nigerians to inquire from the PDP governors how far and how well they have utilised the increased revenue to better the lives of Nigerians in their respective states.
Idris also stated that if the opposition party was interested in the well-being of the citizens they needed to attend to issues of the state.
”If PDP governors are genuinely interested in the living conditions of Nigerians and are not just stirring up disaffection and ill-will towards the federal government, we urge them to meet their obligations to workers, pensioners, and local contractors and see the multiplier effect.”
The minister also noted that despite the hardship faced by Nigerians, the President was proactively trying to find lasting solutions.
”The All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Tinubu is working assiduously to address the current challenges. The President is working with his security chiefs to eliminate all security threats wherever they exist within our borders, and we are getting results in the number of terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers that have either been killed or arrested in the past few weeks. The success of the efforts is also reflected in the over 700 abducted Nigerians who have been rescued from captivity.”
The Central Bank is addressing the problem of volatility in the exchange rate, and we are beginning to see stability that will eventually lead to the naira gaining its actual value against the dollar and other convertible currencies.”
”We urge the PDP Governors to join their colleagues in the Nigerian Governors Forum, who are collaborating with President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to revamp our economy for Nigerians’ collective well-being,” he said.