The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to stifle food importation into the country as mean, ill-timed and completely against the wellbeing of Nigerians.
The PDP stated this in a press statement signed its spokesman.
The party stated that the directive will worsen food scarcity, exacerbate the already harsh economic situation and the general depression, frustration, resentment and despair in the country under President Buhari’s watch.
The statement read, “It is indeed appalling that instead of bringing solutions to the depreciating living conditions in our nation, President Buhari is rather imposing more suffering by ordering the removal of subsidy on food even when it is manifestly clear that he had failed on all fronts to achieve any level of food security despite the huge resources available to his administration.
The party said by the directive, the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress, APC, have again demonstrated their insensitivity towards millions of Nigerians who are already suffering acute hunger and starvation following severe food shortage and high prices brought by President Buhari’s misrule.
“Nigerians do not, in any way, deserve such suffering being foisted on them by such directive on food.
“Such situation will only breed further despondency among our citizens, heighten our security challenges and put more pressure on compatriots, many of who, in the face of suffering occasioned by APC misrule, are resorting to suicide and slavery mission as options.
The party advised that instead of removing subsidy on food and putting more suffering on Nigerians, President Buhari should cut the billions of naira being wasted on luxuries in his Presidency and free the funds for the welfare of the masses.
The party further urged President Buhari to recover the over N14 trillion siphoned by APC interests under his administration including the stolen N9 trillion detailed in the leaked NNPC memo and channel the resources towards food security for Nigerians.
The party, therefore, charged President Buhari to immediately rescind his directive before it inflicts more damage on the polity insisting that it was a complete disservice to Nigerians for the government to place restrictive directives on food for the masses, while interests condoned by the same administration are frittering the country’s common patrimony.