PDP Accuses Buhari Of Demarketing Nigeria

The Presidency issued a response already to this article HERE

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of making negative statements on Nigeria’s economy and demarketing the country.

 Premium Times reports that the party made a statement by its national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, on Sunday, November 1.

According to the PDP, the president’s unwary statements spoil the image of the country; erode the confidence of domestic and international investors in the Nigerian economic and social system.

The opposition party said that in the last six months Buhari was demarketing the nation and scaring away investors through negative labelling of Nigerians and unhealthy portrayal of the nation’s economy.

“In the last six months, our president has only succeeded in discouraging foreign investors with his continued misrepresentation of our country as a business unfriendly environment, where most of the citizens are basically corrupt, dishonest, and cannot be trusted.

“Whereas we have restated our total support for the war against corruption, we insist that Mr. President’s unceasing blanket negative labelling of citizens, in a country where millions of honest and hardworking individuals/firms are genuinely contributing daily to the development effort, is indeed a disservice and injurious to the nation and the people.

“Furthermore, Mr. President’s recent announcement to the world that the nation, with its abundant human and natural resources, is broke and cannot pay cabinet ministers not only sends a discouraging signal to the domestic and international business community, but also exposes the ineptitude of the present administration to meaningfully and sincerely exert itself and work with industrious and innovative investors to create and manage wealth,” the party said.

President Buhari has recently said that Nigeria is broke and he might not be able to pay ministers. Reacting to this statement, the PDP wandered how any reasonable investor can still invest in Nigeria where the president himself continues to alert that his country reeks of corrupt people.

“Is the president not directly advising investors against having confidence in Nigeria and the system, and that they risk not being paid for jobs awarded by government at any level?

“More worrisome is the fact that Mr. President most times, makes his damaging comments in international fora with potential investors in attendance to the extent that reminds one of the proverbial father who, in the presence of potential suitors, often portrays his daughters as wayward and yet constantly complain of their inability to find husbands.”

According to the PDP, Nigeria is blessed with abundant human, natural resources; at the moment it needs “a serious, innovative and practical approach with the capacity to harness the resources and create wealth for the benefit of all”.

The party recalled that even in the most difficult period of economic challenges, previous administrations made efforts to stabilize the economy.

“We know that in the desperation to cover its apparent lack of economic plan, this administration has positioned cabinet ministers, upon inauguration to concentrate on diversionary blame game on the past PDP administration. But even this political deceit cannot combat the unpalatable consequences of Mr. President’s damaging utterances on the image of the nation and its economy.

“Finally, we wish to remind the president and those around him that Nigerians, by the 2015 elections, have committed the fate of the country in his hands for the next four years and are not willing to accept excuses for any economic failures under his watch,”the party said.

Meanwhile, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has warned the president and the federal government that the economy might collapse in the next three months.

The governor lamented the deplorable state of the nation’s economy, called on the Buhari-led administration to address the problem and stop propaganda.