Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, shared his assessment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in an interview with The Nigerian Tribune. He began by emphasizing the long-term nature of the presidential term, highlighting the four-year tenure in the context of 24 hours in a day.
Chief Olabode George pointed out what he perceived as the first mistake made by President Tinubu during his administration. He criticized the allocation of N5 billion to every state as palliatives, stating that this distribution wasn’t justifiable due to the varying populations of the states. George used Lagos State, with a population of approximately 22 million, and Bayelsa State, with less than 2 million, as examples, both receiving the same amount.
According to him; “I have mentioned several times that this journey will take a long time. To explain it technically, there are 24 hours in a day, and we have four years ahead of us. So if you multiply 24 hours by 365 days and then by 4 years, you will see just how many hours the President will spend in office. It is a long-term commitment, and we are only at the beginning. The first mistake he made was, I would not hide myself. Teach me how to fish, rather than be giving me fish to eat. The first mistake made was the N5 billion given to every state as paliatives. To do what ? What is the population of Lagos State ? About 22 million, we got N5 billion. Bayelsa State is less than 2 million in population, it got N5 billion. Kano State is also a heavily populated state, it got N5 billion. Jigawa State, next door neighbour, it got also N5 billion. Is that justifiable ?”
He further said; “Kwara State also got N5 billion, what is the population of Kwara State ? You remember, there was something that I saw when they were giving them rice and just one “mudu” to one family, would you be giving that N5 billion everyday ? The mess in the financial sector is shambolic, and also heart wrentching. I feel absolutely mortified, beyond words that that happened. Where is our reserve ? If you do not have enough reserve, how do you support your currency ? What is going on ? Those leakages, is it true about this oil subsidy scam ? What are the facts behind this story?””
He raised questions about the financial sector’s integrity and expressed dismay at the state of Nigeria’s reserve. He highlighted concerns about currency support and alleged mismanagement in the foreign exchange market, where the dollar’s value seemed to fluctuate depending on connections. He stressed the need for transparency to understand ongoing financial challenges and prevent repeating past mistakes, emphasizing that addressing these issues should be a collective effort rather than relying solely on one individual. In essence, Chief Olabode George critiqued the allocation of palliatives, financial sector mismanagement, and transparency issues in President Tinubu’s administration, calling for collective efforts to address these challenges.
Finally he said; “When you hear various stories, it can be confusing, especially when it comes to lies and misinformation. There have been reports of mismanagement in the foreign exchange market, where the value of the dollar seemed to vary depending on who you knew. This affects everyone, because it’s not a private matter. It involves money that belongs to all Nigerians. We need transparency to understand what is really happening and avoid repeating past mistakes. We cannot rely on one person to fix everything. It is a collective effort.”
KINGSIFY (
)
