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The national call for an immediate disclosure of President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic agenda for the nation gained momentum even as a legal practitioner and social activist, Barr. Kayode Ajulo urged the president to unveil his plans
to restore the nation’s economic fortunes as a matter of urgency.
Speaking with journalists Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Ajulo, who is the National Secretary of the Labour Party accused the president of “treating the nation’s woes with kid gloves”.
“I think the president’s dalliance with issues of crucial national importance is becoming very worrisome to those who are sincere about their desire to see Nigeria rises up to take her pride of place amongst the nations.
“I am worried that three months after his historic inauguration as president, President Buhari has not unveiled an economic agenda for the nation. It is equally worrisome that the president continues to act like Nigeria is a personal fiefdom, and like he is a tribal chief who answers to nobody,” he stated.
The Labour Party scribe warned that the famed “body language” of the president might be doing more harm than good to the nation, as investors from across the globe were fast losing the needed confidence that should guide their investment decisions in the country.
“So much has been said about the president’s body language. However, while his much-discussed body language may have been productive internally in some sectors, on the global scale, investors seem to be getting a different message from the president’s pussy-footing.
“Investors are fleeing our country on a massive scale because they perceive that our president doesn’t really seem to have a grip on the economic realities beleaguering Nigeria in a modern world,” he said.
Ajulo asserted that the scheduled October 2015 delisting of Nigeria by international bank JP Morgan from its government bond index was an indicator that global stakeholders in world economy were fast losing confidence in the economic direction of the nation.
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“The so-called body language of the president is giving conflicting messages, and the implications are getting clearer and more glaring daily. Yes, he may have sent a clear message as regards anti-corruption but the responses so far from our international economic partners tell us what they think of the president’s inaction and apparent confusion as regards an economic agenda.
The legal luminary also drew attention to the rumoured impending mass retrenchment in commercial banks across the nation which according to him is a fallout of the recent presidential directive which ordered that all government revenue be paid into a Single Treasury Account (TSA).
“It is unfortunate and unacceptable that the president’s directive is poised to bring untold hardship to thousands of Nigerians currently employed in the banking sector. While his decision might have been in good faith and in line with his desire to stem the tide of corruption in public service, the recent directive gives credence to the popular saying that the road to hell is paved with good intention.
“He may have good intentions but the consequences of this policy promise to be very grave for innocent Nigerians working in this sector. What is to be the fate of these hapless Nigerians when the banks begin to lay off workers as they seek ways to cut their expenditure? It is ordinary Nigerians who will bear the brunt of the president’s ill-considered directive.
Ajulo however commended the president on his efforts so far to stem corruption in the public service, especially in the nation’s oil sector, stating that if the war against corruption is intelligently prosecuted, it would bring about brighter days for the nation.
“The war against corruption is something that all well-meaning Nigerians desire. The average Nigerian on the street would love to see Buhari truly rid Nigeria of the stranglehold of corruption, if indeed he can swing it. So Nigerians are praying for him and supporting him. However, he would be paying his supporters with a bad coin if he continues to implement policies and pass directives that would foist unnecessary hardship on the people.
“As a leader of the party that champions the rights of the common man and the Nigerian worker, I want to advise the president to ensure that he passes only well-thought out policies and directives, not just cloudy policies founded on mere good intentions. President Buhari should ensure that his government’s actions have, as we say in Nigeria, a human face,” he stated.
