Atiku lists Tinubu govt’s 10 ‘embarrassing’ lies in 117 days

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, berated President Bola Tinubu’s administration for deceiving Nigerians with propaganda.

The former Vice President was reacting to a retraction by the presidency about Tinubu’s activities at the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) in the United States.

The president rang the closing bell at the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York last Wednesday.

In a statement issued 24 hours later, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, said his principal was the first African leader to be accorded the honour of ringing the closing bell at the bourse regarded as the most active stock trading venue by volume in the US.

He, however, withdrew the statement the following day and said the presidency had discovered that Tinubu was not the first African leader to ring the NASDAQ bell.

In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu, the PDP candidate warned Nigerians not to be deceived by the presidency’s apology on its claim about the Nasdaq event.

He lamented that the current administration has been at the centre of 10 embarrassing lies in just 117 days in office.

The statement read: “The fact that Tinubu has more media aides than economic and security advisers is enough to prove that his administration would rely on propaganda as a state policy.

“My advice to the Nigerian media is to always fact-check any claim made by this government as this would help maintain their credibility. If the Tinubu government says it is morning, go outside to verify if the sun is shining.

“These are the 10 lies of the Tinubu regime I have compiled so far:

“1. The first lie that was told by Bola Tinubu was in his inaugural speech, where he stated that petrol subsidy is gone. With oil prices now at $94 per barrel and naira exchanging at N1,000/$1, the price of diesel has risen to about N1,000 per litre while petrol remains at about N620 per litre. It is obvious to the discerning mind that petrol is now being subsidised, a position which all oil marketers have espoused. Nigerians should not be deceived. Tinubu’s claim that there is no subsidy is a lie from the pit of hell, and the fact that they are even hiding the information means there is no transparency, and the money is probably being stolen again.

“2. The second lie told by these charlatans was that the United Arab Emirates had lifted the visa ban on Nigerians immediately and that all Nigerians were free to visit Dubai. This lie was well celebrated by many undiscerning Nigerians whose only crime was to believe the deceptive words of an illegitimate government. UAE authorities later confirmed to CNN that it was all a lie. What a national embarrassment!

“3. A third lie told by this deceptive government is that Tinubu was the first African President to ring the NASDAQ bell. It has since been established that Malawian President, Jakaya Kikwete, rang the bell on September 21, 2011.

“4. Another lie was a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale on August 27, 2023, where US Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, was quoted as saying, “President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership.” Well, this has turned out to be another embarrassing lie as Tinubu has departed UNGA and never met President Biden.

READ ALSO: Presidency withdraws claim on Tinubu being first African leader to ring Nasdaq closing bell

“5. A fifth lie was a claim made by Tinubu on the floor of NASDAQ where he stated ‘We have retooled the exchange rate to a reliable, dependable one figure floating of the naira. You are free to take in your money and bring out your money.” But this is another lie from the pit of hell. The exchange rate on the I&E Window is about N780/$1, while the rate at the parallel market is about N1,000/$1. Besides, foreign airlines still have over $600m in funds stuck in Nigeria. Tinubu, therefore, lied when he said ‘You are free to take in your money and bring out your money.

“6. On August 14, 2023, the Nigerian government said on its official Twitter handle that the Nigerian Air Force struck terrorists gathering at Kurebe in Shiroro LGA in Niger State. The government claimed that the terrorists were neutralised. Well, Premium Times has now revealed in its latest report that this is nothing but propaganda as those who were killed were innocent civilians. Is it not tragic that the Bola Tinubu administration has now infected the military with its lies? Indeed, once the head of the fish is rotten, the body cannot escape corruption.

“7. As part of Bola Tinubu’s propaganda programme, the Central Bank of Nigeria said on September 6, 2023, that within two weeks, it would inject $10 billion into the foreign exchange market to clear the FX backlog. Days after the deadline passed, not a single cent has been injected into the system as the naira continues its free fall. The institution that Tinubu’s leadership cannot destroy does not exist.

“8. In his inaugural speech, Tinubu said, “As your President, I shall serve with prejudice towards none.” But this has turned out to be another bare-faced lie. Tinubu has been running a government of the clannish, by the clannish and for the clannish, with all key appointments in every sector going to a section of the country including CBN, FIRS, customs, army, police, immigration while he himself is the petroleum and gas minister. Tinubu appointed 10 ministers from the southwest and only five from the southeast. If this isn’t prejudice, I don’t know what it is.

“9. Last month, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited claimed they had obtained an Afrexim loan of $3bn which would help stabilise the naira. We raised the alarm that it was all a ruse to deceive Nigerians. Now, we have been justified as the naira is now trading at $1/N1,000 on the black market, while Afrexim Bank has refused to speak on it. This was just audio money.

“10. Perhaps the biggest scam and deceit of the Tinubu administration was the Student Loan Act, which he signed on June 12. The new law provides loans for students’ tuition only. It doesn’t cover any other educational expenses. After the law was signed, all federal government schools began increasing school fees. But Dele Alake, the Special Adviser on Media as he then was, said in a statement that tuition in all government schools remains free and that the only fees that were increased were accommodation, laboratory, library, and other costs. So if tuition is free and the Student Loan Act covers only tuition fees, that means the Student Loan Act is pointless, and no money will be released. In essence, Tinubu’s government has prodded government schools to increase fees while no loans will be given to the students. This is the height of deception and wickedness.”

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