Human rights activist and author, comrade Paul Njoku, has joined millions of other concerned Nigerians to question the sincerity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the purported N8,000 palliative to 12 million vulnerable households in Nigeria.
News Band reports that Tinubu in a letter on Thursday urged the senate to amend the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act.
According to the letter read by the senate president, Godswill Akpabio, president Tinubu said the $800million loan facility is intended to be used to support poor Nigerians and will be disbursed to poor households across the country.
He said the facility is an extension of the unconditional cash transfer being implemented by the Federal Government.
According to the president, the money will be given to poor Nigerians as palliative for six months to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol.
But while reacting to federal government’s decision, activist Paul in a statement he made available to News Band described the move as “town-hall economy”.
Paul urged Nigerians to question Mr president what 8,000 can do for a household considering the unbearable economic situation at the moment.
While urging Tinubu to emulate from Peter Obi who promised to fix the moribund refineries and fight corruption, Paul however said that the palliative money will end up in the private pockets of politicians’ family and friends just like the way it happened in Buhari’s administration.
Part of the statement reads, “Nigerians are not surprised that President Bola Tinubu obviously has nothing to offer.
“In my view, he is incompetent, corruption – appraised and economically more clueless than the former president Muhammadu Buhari.
“Nigerians did not vote for corruption and incompetence.
“It is unimaginable that Tinubu is implementing subsidy removal that should benefit everyone by attempting to share a token to 12m people out of over 250m Nigerians by giving 8 thousand naira each to an individual for six months. What a ‘town-hall’ economy!!
“Is Tinubu not aware that Peter Obi promised to fix our refineries, encourage modular – oil production, kill corruption and end financial recklessness of the executive before removing the subsidy?
“Nigerians should inquire from Mr. President what 8 thousand naira can do for anyone with the unbearable current food prices and cost of anything you can think of in Nigeria right now.
“Expectedly, the money will end up in the pockets of politicians’ family and friends just like Buhari did.”