Pro-Buhari group slams PDP over charge to its Senators not to back Buhari’s new borrowing plan

…Insists President has strengthened democratic structures at all levels

A pro-Buhari  group, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), has berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Uche Secondus, for his call instructing PDP Senators at the National Assembly to work against the passage of the requests by President Muhammadu Buhari for more loans.

This is even as the group said President Muhammadu Buhari has done a lot to deepen democracy and strengthen democratic structures in the country in the last five years.

Describing the loan request as something that will benefit Nigeria and Nigerians, the group said the PDP’s call is unpatriotic, illogical and crudely partisan, adding that by making such a request, PDP has asked its members to work against the interest of Nigeria.

BMO in a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, said the “evil directive is formed from either the lack of understanding of the importance and necessity for the loans Nigeria is taking, or it is a deliberate lack of patriotism for partisanship sake.

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“Either or both, we can indeed see that the PDP leadership is confused, desperate and has no interest in the well-being of the Nigerian state.

“That incitement of its elected members by the PDP leadership is a subtle request for anarchist democracy. By asking its members at the National Assembly to adopt a position contrary to common sense and Nigeria’s interest, exposes the PDP as a party with zero-regard for the development, growth and success of our country.

“It is this attitude they brought to governance when they held sway of the affairs of the country, leading to its near collapse.

“Opposition parties around the world are laying aside their partisanship and focusing on the more important issue of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as one country, with one heart and in the interest of their countries. On the other hand, our opposition party is calling on its Senators to work against the country, even at a time when the country needs everyone to put its loyalty to the country before party.

“We are ashamed of Secondus and his likes. They are the few misguided Nigerians who give the majority a bad name. They place their biases and partisanship above what should matter most; country.”

BMO noted that Nigeria was not taking loans because it was loan-hungry, but because the country did not have enough revenue to cater for critical expenditure.

“With a pandemic hitting us, our earnings as a country has dipped. The President cannot sit back and fold his arms when there are no funds to cater for critical projects – especially during the pandemic.

“With the Covid-19 pandemic, Nigeria needs to pump money into the economy to galvanise productivity and enhance demand. The country’s revenue is down, consequently, it must borrow; the majority of countries around the world, facing the pandemic, have resorted to borrowing.

“It is the simple and logical thing to do. Moreso, Nigeria is creditworthy. Importantly, we are not borrowing to finance recurrent expenditure,  but to fund capital projects.”

The group called on PDP members of the Senate not to sacrifice their national assignment on the altar of partisanship.

“Patriotism trumps partisanship. PDP members in the Senate have so far shown that they understand the import of this and the national assignment they have been called to handle. The call by the PDP Chairman that they should do otherwise should be dumped where it belongs: in the dustbin of shame,” the statement added.

Insisting that President Buhari has done a lot to deepen democracy and strengthen democratic structures in the country in the last five years, the BMO said this is more than what any administration has done since the return of democracy in 1999.

The BMO said that the President’s actions in ensuring autonomy of other arms of government at sub-national levels are unprecedented.

“We invite Nigerians to note how President Buhari displayed apolitical will to free local government councils from the apron strings of state governments by simply ensuring that Constitutional provisions on financial autonomy for the third tier of government is respected.

“Section 162 (6) and (8) of the 1999 Constitution on state joint local government account has, as far back as the Obasanjo years, been implemented in the breach, but this administration without much ado simply enforced the provision through the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

“This has for about a year now drowned agitation for local government autonomy in the country and strengthened the Buhari administration’s hand enough to move for the autonomy of state Assemblies and Judiciary through an Executive Order.

“All of these were unthinkable in the past until the President opted to invoke part of his powers to strengthen democratic structures at sub-national levels,” the group said.

BMO noted that President Buhari is also laying the groundwork for Agriculture to eventually become the mainstay of the economy after decades of almost total dependence on oil.

“Aside from infrastructure development doting the landscape, agriculture is almost certain to be the single most important legacy the Buhari administration will bequeath to Nigerians, judging from what is on ground.

“It all began with the launch of the Anchor Borrowers Programme in 2015 to pave way for smallholder farmers to have access to farm inputs in cash and kind through an arrangement by the Central Bank, as well as a direct link to off-takers.

“At the last count, 1.5m farmers across all 36 states of the Federation have benefitted in such a way that local rice production, especially, was boosted to the extent that Nigeria did not feel the impact of Covid-19 on food supply. 

“Only recently, Nigerians saw rice pyramids in Kebbi State and a few days ago, the government inaugurated a 200,000 yam storage facility with well-paved, interconnecting roads in what has been described as the world’s largest yam market in Benue State.

“Even as the Anchor Borrowers programme is set to capture more farmers in the 2020 farming season, the Buhari administration has sealed a government to government $1.1bn agricultural mechanisation deal with Brazil.

“This initiative tagged ‘The Green Imperative’, is perhaps the most revolutionary step made by any government in decades to change the face of farming in the country across the entire agricultural value chain, and is expected to touch all 774 local government councils.

“We make bold to say that it is one project that will put the country firmly on the path to mechanised farming, especially with plans to set up assembly plants for tractors and other agricultural machinery and processing centres.”