The spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dino Melaye, has hit out at the regime led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) over the closure of land borders due to the rising cost of food in the market.
In Melaye’s words, “One of the notable gains of the border closure, according to the APC, is the phantom rice revolution that resulted from the containment of imported rice contraband through the border closure. Curious Nigerians, however, are wondering why rice is now more expensive and cheaper during and after the border closure.”
In a statement released and signed by the newsmen, the former lawmaker said, “Nigerians are also feeling cheated because the insecurity and arms smuggling that were part of the justifications for border control have become so intractable that Katsina State, including the President (Retired Major General) Buhari’s community, it has become the kingdom of bandits.
“It is out of touch for Lai Mohammed and the APC to fight with Atiku Abubakar on issues of border management and control, an area where the PDP presidential candidate has exceptional powers.
“Instead of bowing in condolence over the numerous policy failures and abysses of his party and administration, Lai Mohammed’s lukewarm detractor Atiku Abubakar is classified as an ‘ambitious outsider’.”
“It was the same thing that has kept APC moving fast on the road to administrative ruin because it did not heed Atiku’s advice on NNPC and other key socio-economic issues. Only PDP and Atiku can save Nigeria from its current residence in intensive care.
“Nigerians are not fooled or oblivious to the difficulties they face, the loss of market dominance in West Africa and the stifling of operations of Nigerian industries for the duration of the border closure. Such was the negative effect that a Commission in the Buhari regime advised against the ill-conceived and ignorantly implemented policy against its adverse effect.
“If the policy worked, why were critical land borders reopened? Attacking Atiku Abubakar for saying his administration would keep the borders open reflects a lack of creativity, imagination, laziness and indiscretion as a benefit of hard lessons learned by the Buhari administration through its characteristic error of judgement.
“The Atiku campaign structure is not only happy that the Katsina exit caused unrest in the APC, but that it offered our presidential candidate an opportunity to bring light out of the darkness and articulate policies to reverse the stone age that APC has plunged Nigeria into for the past seven and a half years. The message really struck the right chords. had
“Nigerians are assured that under the leadership of Atiku Abubakar, all regional trade agreements will be effectively implemented. In this regard, both the African Free Trade Area, AfCFTA and the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, ETLS, will be implemented for national and regional advantages. Border management agencies will be equipped with technological tools and hardware they will be equipped with adequate equipment to combat smuggling, illegal immigration and arms trafficking.
“Now that Atiku Abubakar’s Katsina exit has brought Alhaji Lai Mohammed back to consciousness and brought him out of hibernation, he can once again calmly return to his solitude, maintaining the saying that silence is golden.”
