The All Progressives Congress has ferociously responded to the statement made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the state of the nation.

Obasanjo had declared that Nigeria “is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world.”

While speaking at a consultative dialogue held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Center, Abuja, Obasanjo added that “socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country.”

Obasanjo said the country “is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state” and attributed the situation to what he called “recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country.”

However, in a statement released on Sunday, APC said Obasanjo, Atiku and the People’s Democratic Party lack the moral right to review the state of the nation and to pose as the voice on the way forward.

The statement signed by Yekini Nabena, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, described Obasanjo and Atiku as “political actors who midwifed and institutionalised national rot, corruption, impunity.”

Read the full statement below

It is baffling that the same political actors that midwifed and institutionalised the national rot, corruption, impunity and eroding of our value systems are the same characters posing as voices on the way forward in our national life. How ironic!

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo could start with telling us where the electricity is despite $16billion he spent on the power sector. Obasanjo’s deputy, Alh. Atiku Abubakar should account for the privatisation exercise under his watch which saw national assets sold off to friends and cronies with no benefit to the country. Successive Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations can also start by accounting for the trillions stolen from our national coffers in the guise of a fraudulent fuel subsidy regime.

While it is well within the rights of these political actors to write skewed letters, spew empty, hypocritical, tongue-in-cheek and two-faced economic magic models in line with their Dubai meeting strategies, this administration is walking the talk with verifiable projects and people-centred interventions that is uplifting Nigerians.

These political actors probably only listen to their own voices because Nigerians have long stopped taking them seriously as they simply lack the antecedents and moral credentials to guide Nigeria and Nigerians to the path of prosperity and progress.

Instead of the “do or die” lingo Obasanjo and the PDP introduced to our electioneering, votes are beginning to count as our elections improve steadily. Their abandoned projects which constituted drainpipes on national resources are being completed by this administration. The brazen culture of impunity and corruption which they institutionalised is being replaced by strong and accountable systems. The culture of round-tripping and the rested subsidy regime in the petroleum sector has been replaced by a deregulated and accountable petroleum pricing template. Instead of plotting how to sell off national assets, particularly the NNPC to friends, this administration is reforming public sector operations to ensure optimised service delivery.

We are gradually eating what we grow. Our national emergency health response has earned global accolades and recognition as displayed by our COVID-19 response. Our defence capacity to respond and contain emerging security challenges is now tested and proven. How did Nigeria achieve this? A strong, people-centred and focussed leadership which the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration provides.

Genuine patriots, reputable groups and organizations who are making honest contributions on the deregulation of electricity and petrol prices already see the decision as inevitable and the way to go.

As it stands, Nigeria will save as much as one trillion naira ($2.6 billion) following the deregulation of the petroleum sector, the Petroleum Minister of State Timipre Sylva has stated.

Nigerians trust that the freed-up cash will be accounted for and be judiciously invested to develop other critical areas such as infrastructure, health care, education among others.