The Conference of United Political Parties (CUPP), has in response to President Bola Tinubu said Nigerians were currently making the kind of sacrifices those in leadership have lacked the courage to make.
National Secretary of the body, Chief Peter Ameh, said this in response to inquiries from Vanguard, in Abuja, yesterday.
He spoke against the backdrop of calls by the President for Nigerians to be more sacrificial for the nation to make progress.
Ameh explained that Nigeria which has the human and natural resources with an unequalled arable land mass currently ranks 109 out of 125 on the World Hunger Index largely because the government has failed in its basic responsibility to protect citizens, especially farmers.
He said, "The inability of the Government to secure our farmers is also a major contributor to the hunger in the land and the President has done nothing to help make our farmers feel safe in their communities.
"The luxurious lifestyle of our leaders is the reason why we are in this mess because those in government have misplaced priorities and have vehemently refused to do right by our people, rather they prefer to spend money on white elephant projects such as the purchase of new Presidential Aircraft that requires high expenditure but never deliver returns.
"Such money should have been channeled towards the development of projects that will have lasting positive impact on the lives of citizens.
"The President and his Vice, are to spend over N8.64bn on travel expenses within the last three months while he continues to give speeches and false promises about plans to cut public spending, still the cost associated with the running of government in Nigeria is far higher than most countries in the same economy bracket.
"The wasteful spending of those elected to oversee the affairs of running our government is a major contributor to the endemic poverty in Nigeria and the president should be concerned about the situation of the suffering masses.
" And work hard to ensure that this situation improves for those affected by the current economic crisis occasioned by his lack of proper framework, disastrous policy choices and premature implementation model like what happened in the case of fuel subsidy removal.
"Nigeria has a poverty rate of 38.9 percent and approximately 87 million Nigerians live below poverty line and the reason can easily be attributed to incompetent and clueless leaders who have done nothing to improve the lives of the masses.
"Nigeria's economic growth has been slow, and the country's GDP per capita has been flat because successive government policies have failed to address the problems due to lack of foresight and corrupt public officials.
"Corruption is a pervasive issue in Nigeria, and it discourages foreign investment and hinders economic development.
" I am referring to corruption in public office by government officials who have been involved in stealing of public funds meant to benefit the people.
"What has Tinubu done to tackle that since his assumption of office and he is talking about ordinary citizens whose take home pay is not enough to help them meet a good standard of living?
"Nigeria indeed has vast economic potential, with a large and youthful population, vast natural resources, and a strategic location on the African continent.
"However, our country faces various challenges that hinder its ability to realize its economic potential and improve the lives of its citizens."
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The CUPP Scribe named some of the challenges facing Nigeria to include:
Widespread corruption and mismanagement of resources has hindered economic development and discouraged foreign investment In Nigeria.
He wondered what President Tinubu was doing about this situation.
Accused to him, the President sounds like the problems confronting this Nation and our people is not enough for us to cry out, adding that "it is a shame that our people are suffering in spite of the huge potentials of the country."
He maintained that "With inconsistent public policies the APC Government has created an uncertain business environment and a bleak future for the country."
Ameh insisted that it was only by tackling the disparities between the rich and the poor and purposeful leadership that Nigeria can unlock its economic potentials and improve the lives of its citizens.
