Former Minister of Education and social critic, Oby Ezekwesili, has lashed out on President Muhammadu Buhari over his current economic policies.
Photo: President Buhari and Dr. Ezekwesili
She described the policies a stark resemblance of those he promulgated during the military regime he led in the 1980s.
Mrs. Ezekwesili said Mr. Buhari’s “archaic” and “opaque” economic principles are not only encouraging massive corruption and abuse of power.
She said they are also hurting the poor they were intended to help.
Mrs. Ezekwesili said this at The Platform, a yearly public policy forum that is currently underway in Abuja.
“During the first coming of this our new president, a command and control economic system was adopted.
“During that era, inflation spiraled. During that era, jobs were lost.
During that era, the economic growth level dipped,” Mrs. Ezekwesili said.
“That era wasn’t the best of eras in economic progress.”
“What did not work in 1984 cannot possibly be a solution in a global economy that’s much more integrated.”
Mrs. Ezekwesili said Mr. Buhari was rehashing the same “command and control” approach towards economic issues.
This, according to her, has left the country’s economic indices worse off since he assumed office almost year ago.
“In over one year, the president is still holding to the premise that command and control is the only way out,” Mrs. Ezekwesili said.
“In a year we have lost the single digits inflation status we maintained in past administrations.”
Ezekwesili’s condemnation is significant because she is an adept believer n President Buhari ability to steer the wheels of Nigeria’s economic story to success.
Before the 2015 General elections, she organised a lot of protests and actions against the previous administration under the watch of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
A collection of her activities helped bring president Buhari to power, one of the #BringBackOurGirls.
More Nigerians are finding in extremely difficult to cope with President Buhari’s government, with the ‘Change’ agenda proving to be “opaque”so far.
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