A Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain in Ondo State, Nicholas Tofowomo, says President Bola Tinubu should not be blamed wholly for the economic challenges currently facing the country.
Tofowomo, who represented Ondo South Senatorial District at the Ninth National Assembly, stated this on Monday in Okitipupa.
Although the lawmaker noted that the economic situation was exacerbated by fuel subsidy removal and other economic policies introduced by the Tinubu administration, he said that the President should not be blamed for the country’s woes.
He noted that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had removed provisions for fuel subsidy in the 2023 budget.
The former senator further stated that Tinubu, who inherited the budget, only announced and took responsibility for the subsidy removal.
“I was part of the ninth national assembly that passed the 2023 budget. There was no provision for fuel subsidy in the budget. So it was the Buhari administration that removed the fuel subsidy.
“The truth is that Tinubu inherited the budget; he only announced it during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, and took responsibility.
“So I don’t think we should put all the blame on him for the current economic woes,’ he said.
The PDP chieftain, however, said that Tinubu’s information strategy was defective and that his information handlers were not doing enough on the issue, thus resulting in a nationwide protest.
The former lawmaker, however, said that despite the late broadcast, the president had acknowledged that he heard Nigerians loud and clear and called on the organizers to halt the protests and embrace dialogue.
Tofowomo urged the protesters to suspend their protests, go back to the drawing board, and embrace dialogue to chart a new course for the country, adding that nothing meaningful could be achieved through violent protests.
Recall that the protests, which kicked off on August 1, had resulted in loss of lives and destruction of property in some parts of the country.
Protests: Tinubu not wholly responsible for Nigeria’s economic woes – PDP chieftain
