- Safiu Kehinde
The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has berated the 2023 Labour Party’s (LP) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, over his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s borrowing plan.
NPO Reported that the former Anambra governor had slammed Tinubu over what he described as reckless borrowings following the President’s request of $1.75 billion from World Bank.
Obi had called on accountants to confront Tinubu-Federal Government over the loan request.
Reacting in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, the Lagos APC explained that borrowing under the administration of President Bola Tinubu is to fund development through building of critical infrastructure.
Oladejo, in the statement titled “Peter Obi’s Borrowing Hypocrisy: Physician, Heal Thyself”, advised Obi to play to his strengths in politics, stressing that topics bordering on finance, economy, development, and social policy remain the ex-Anambra governor’s enduring handicap.
According to him, borrowing under the present administration is strategic, tied to projects and funding of productive sectors.
“First, borrowing is not inherently reckless. What matters is purpose and prudence.
“Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, borrowing is strategic, tied to critical infrastructure, energy, transportation, and productive sectors.
“This is the globally accepted practice-even the most advanced economies borrow to fund growth.
“Second, Peter Obi has no moral authority to lecture anyone about prudence.
“Nigerians remember that as governor, he left behind unpaid pensions, collapsing infrastructure, and poor human capital indices,” Oladejo said.
He said that Obi had consistently displayed extravagant tendencies, adding it was a contradiction that he was going about giving sermons on prudent management of resources.
“For someone who flew around the world in private jets during his campaign while sermonising about cutting costs, the contradictions are glaring,” he said.
According to him, unlike Obi’s motivational-speech politics, Tinubu is taking bold, necessary steps to reset the economy.
“Subsidy removal, currency reforms, and targeted borrowing are difficult but inevitable measures to secure Nigeria’s future. This is leadership in action – not empty moralising,” he added
He urged Obi to refrain from commenting on serious matters of finance and governance,”he is out of depth and out of place”.
Oladejo said that Tinubu was building Nigeria’s future, while Obi was busy building sound bites.
“One is a reformer, the other a motivational speaker. Nigerians know the difference,” he said.