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Tinubu running govt of exclusion like dictator, says Lukman, ex-APC Vice Chair
The immediate-past National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the
ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Salihu Lukman has accused President Bola
Tinubu of running a government of exclusion and behaving more like a military
dictator.
He said for a man who is desirous of a second term in
office, it was unthinkable that the President would be carrying on the affairs
of the country without consultations with Nigerians.
In a statement issued Saturday in Abuja, Lukman said
although the president has taken responsibility for the economic situation in
the country, “the crucial issue is, having taken responsibility, how long would
it take to get to the end of the ‘tunnel’ when will the expected ‘light’ begin
to shine?”
According to him, the main issue worrying Nigerians, and
particularly APC members, in addition to whether citizens will survive the
current hardship being experienced, is also to understand the details of
government initiatives to get Nigerians out of the hardship.
He said; “With APC now increasingly becoming a closed shop
with virtually all its organs demobilized and the omnipotent status of the
President strengthened, what is the future of the APC?
“Being an envisioned progressive party but end up producing
progressive governments in reverse gear, what is the implication?
“Is it a question of leaders becoming indifferent to the
electoral fortunes of the party? Does the fact of being indifferent to the
electoral fortune of the party also mean being unconcerned about the future of
democracy in Nigeria?
“These questions are being asked not in agreement with any
conclusion of being indifferent but to attempt to rekindle the conscience of
our leaders, especially President Asiwaju Tinubu.
“Without any
hesitation, one can argue that at the rate we are going, our party, APC, and
our leaders have shortchanged Nigerians.
“What Nigerians are having today wasn’t what was promised at
all. The most disturbing reality is that given that the current economic
hardship is produced during the first term of President Asiwaju Tinubu, with no
end in sight, does it then mean that President Asiwaju Tinubu is not interested
in second term? Certainly not.
“If he is interested in a second term, why is he managing
affairs of government like a military dictator, shutting down the structures of
the party and talking down on citizens like a philosopher king who has absolute
knowledge of what will produce possible happiness for citizens?” he queried.
“Impulsive policies’
Lukman noted that both as Nigerians and as members of the
APC, these are worrisome realities, which weaken confidence in the prospect of
getting to the end of the ‘tunnel’ and whether any bright light will illuminate
the lives of citizens.
He said; “This is partly because what is becoming very
disturbing is that since the assumption of office of the President Asiwaju
Tinubu, on May 29, 2023, major policy decisions are taken impulsively without
clearly defined plans, at least not shared with Nigerians.
“Three good examples are the issue of removal of subsidy on
petroleum products, floating the exchange rate of the Naira, and sanction
against Niger Republic following the coup of July 26, 2023.
“Adding to the impulsive approach to decision making, on
Monday, February 26, 2024 after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting,
the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris announced
the resolution of the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of
Steven Oronsaye Committee report.
“With that decision, out of the 541 Federal Government
parastatals, commissions and agencies that existed in 2012, 263 agencies should
be reduced to 161, 38 abolished, 52 merged, and 14 returned to departments in
ministries.
“To facilitate implementation within 12-week (3 months)
deadline a committee comprising the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Head of the Civil Service, Attorney General of the Federation,
Budget and Planning Ministers, among others has been empanelled.
“Giving further explanations about the decisions of FEC,
Mrs. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on
Policy Coordination informed that the committee is to ensure necessary
restructuring and legislative amendments to achieve implementation.
“Ideally, this should have been made an integral part of a
policy of rebuilding the Nigerian public service to make it more efficient and
productive. After implementation, what is the guarantee that the new outlook
will result in reduced cost and will be efficient and productive in delivering
services to Nigerians.
“As it is, the emphasis is more about trimming the size of
of the civil service based on the old neoliberal agenda of World Bank and IMF.
The approach, from the way it is being introduced is almost exactly the way
previous administrations, especially military governments have initiated public
service reforms in the country.
“Issues of engaging stakeholders aimed at guaranteeing
inclusivity in policy implementation would appear to be taken for granted. Even
the committee setup excludes critical stakeholders, which means stakeholders
can only react to challenges of implementation with hardly any potential to
influence or minimise possible negative consequences.
“Arguably, with respect to all these issues, it is as if
government first announces decisions before beginning to think in terms of what
needs to be done to manage the consequences that followed.
“In which case, rather than acting as a progressive
government that is dynamic, action oriented towards improving the welfare
conditions of citizens, President Asiwaju Tinubu’s administration is behaving
more like a reactionary government. Given such reality, it is almost impossible
to predict what the goal or vision of the government is.
“This was clearly the same problem we had with former
President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. The incomprehensible reality is that
both former President Buhari’s and current President Asiwaju Tinubu’s
governments are APC governments, which got elected based on the promise of
changing Nigeria.
“Part of the change that is expected is having a government
that guarantees and accommodates inclusivity, based on which the outcry of
citizens is factored and utilised to guide design and implementation of government
policy.
“From the time of former President Buhari to the current era
of President Asiwaju Tinubu, issues of inclusivity are in reverse gear.
“Rather than engaging Nigerians and getting them to own
policies of government, supposedly progressive governments talked down on
Nigerians and like dictators almost tell citizens to take as given every
decision taken, even when faced with grave consequences, threatening survival
as is presently being experienced.
“With a manifesto that was the product of robust internal
consultations during the merger negotiations that produced the APC in 2013, the
expectation was that, starting from the government of former President Buhari,
through strong engagements of diverse interest groups in the country, the APC will
begin to translate the party’s manifesto and all campaign promises into clearly
defined policy decisions.
“Unfortunately, the most unexpected manifestation of lack of
inclusivity in democracy is what appears to be a conscious demobilisation of
the APC as a political party.”
