You should have offered progressive ideas, Laolu Akande tells Soludo

Laolu Akande, spokesman of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, says Chukwuma Soludo, former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), ought to have offered progressive ideas and join hands with the current administration.

Reacting to Soludo’s comment on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, Akande said the former CBN governor knows that Buhari has done well.

Soludo had said Buhari inherited a bad situation, but made it worse.

However, Akande opposed him, blaming the challenges of the current administration on “wrong-headed decisions of the past”.

“What would have been more patriotic is that people of goodwill will join several others working with us in this administration and offer progressive ideas and join hands with a government and administration that everyone knows are led by a President and Vice-President who are  trustworthy and are people of unabashed honesty, and integrity,” Akande said in a statement.

“The opinion he (Soludo) expressed is understandable in a democratic system, but the facts are that the challenges of today are a direct result of wrong-headed decisions of the past, and quite mind-boggling actions of those who were entrusted with leadership.

“What even Soludo cannot deny is the fact that the Buhari administration has ended the bleeding of the nation and is implementing reforms.

“The Buhari administration is spending more on infrastructure at a time when resources are lean. When we had abundant revenues what happened was profligacy and plunder.”

Akande said the government in power has made meaningful contributions to the lives of Nigerians.

“What no one can deny is that the Buhari administration is now implementing on behalf of ordinary Nigerians a Social Investment Programme that is unprecedented in Nigeria’s history, paying poorest Nigerians N5,000 monthly, feeding school children and engaging hundreds of thousands of unemployed graduates,” he said.

“Apart from plugging loopholes in several ways, including through the Treasury Single Account, the Buhari administration is raking in resources that otherwise were hidden and misappropriated by the previous administrations.

“The fact that Nigeria no longer has to shell out billions of dollars for joint venture cash calls, was not only a step in the right direction, but one that was bringing relief from a burden that slowed down investments in the oil industry.

“It is certainly quite curious that very few among us will choose to ignore the new direction, but make store of the burdens of past without proper attributions. This appears to be selective amnesia to which they are certainly entitled.”