The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), a pressure group comprising opposition parties in Nigeria, has said that Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian president, will go down as one of the worst leaders in history for inflicting ‘hunger and pain’ on the citizens of the country......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
This claim came in an Independence Day statement released on Monday and signed by Mark Adebayo, the coalition’s national secretary, according to a report by The Nigerian Tribune.
According to this association of parties, Nigeria has not achieved its potential of becoming one of the most developed countries in Africa and therefore has no cause to celebrate independence yet. It attributed the underdevelopment to the consistent looting of Nigeria’s resources by the politicians who have assumed positions of power since independence.
“The current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will go down in history as one of the worst ever in the annals of Nigeria’s history. From day one, his government started inflicting pains, suffering and hunger on Nigerians without let or hindrance. He has continued to promise harder and harder life for Nigerians for as long as his administration lasts,” CUPP’s statement read in part.
“It is difficult to congratulate Nigerians on this occasion of the 64th independence anniversary of the country because there is really nothing to celebrate. Independence is not an end in itself but was supposed to be a means to an end that translates into development, security, peace, and unity.
“But on all these indices, Nigeria is a crawling giant due, fundamentally, to the unfortunate succession of crude, heavily corrupt, unpatriotic, incompetent, and myopic leadership that has bedevilled this country since flag independence.
“Each administration is worse than the last one. In 1960 at independence, Nigeria held a huge promise as the giant of Africa and the light of all blacks globally with enormous potentials to be among the most developed in the comity of nations.”
The coalition also decried the dearth of critical infrastructure in Nigeria and its socio-economic state.
CUPP’s statement also cited some economic indices in Nigeria and compared to neighbouring Benin Republic.
“Critical infrastructures of state like education, energy, security, health, motorable roads, etc, have been pushed from the table to give way to the avariciously insatiable appetite of the ruling cliques,” it stated.
“They act like an army of occupation unleashing socioeconomic mayhem on the country relentlessly. They have declared a war of attrition on the country whilst the citizens are the worst victims of their onslaughts.
“Food, education, health and security are far beyond the reach of 90% of the Nigerian population. Inflation is at an all-time high while our Naira has crashed against global and African currencies. Even the currency of the Republic of Bénin is much stronger than the Naira. This is how badly this government has ruined Nigeria’s economy.
“We commiserate with Nigerians on this 64th independence anniversary of failure, hunger, insecurity, pains and suffering. We urge Nigerians to support the opposition to rescue the country from the retrogressive APC in 2027 and give Nigerians a breathing space from the current dire mess that Nigeria is in.”
On Monday, Bola Ahmed Tinubu admitted that Nigerians were struggling in his Independence Day statement. He cited some of the common problems which include the rising cost of living and the lack of meaningful employment.
Tinubu however insisted his administration’s reforms have launched the country on a path of progress, citing the changes in the debt service ratio and the foreign reserves from the administration.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have taken to the streets to protest economic hardship and demand a review of Tinubu’s economic policies. While monitoring the protest, FIJ spotted different demands including ‘Reduce Petrol Price to N197 Per Litre; End Scarcity’, ‘End All Attacks On Democratic Rights’, ‘Free Adaramola Michael Lenin and Others Now’ and ‘Reverse Electricity Tariff Hike’.
