Atiku urges Tinubu to learn from Argentina President, says there continue to be discontentment unless…

Atiku urges Tinubu to learn from Argentina President, says there continue to be discontentment unless…

 

Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku has urged President Bola Tinubu to emulate Argentinian President Javier Milei’s economic reforms and strategies if he is serious about turning things around in Nigeria.

Indeed Atiku, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 poll, said there would continue to be discontentment in the country through protests if Tinubu failed to implement economic policies based on leadership-led sacrifice.

“Unless, and until there are clear-cut policies and pathway to economic rejuvenation predicated on a leadership-led sacrifice, there will be discontentment, especially among the youths, which may find expression in protests and for which it will be silly to continue to blame the opposition for,” he said in a new statement.

According to him,  President Tinubu has a lot to learn from President Milei of Argentina, who came to power last December and inherited disoriented state economy but applying different recovery measures.

He Milei who inherited a worse condition than Nigeria’s was gradually returning his country to a place where investors are ‘starting to believe’, noting that this should serve as a lesson to Tinubu.

He argued that Nigeria is where it is today because of what Tinubu has done or did not do.

He said Milei “started off cutting government expenditure by cutting the size of government and wastages; blocked stealing of government funds, and attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through concessions, tax holidays, and improved ease of doing business.

“President Milei flies regular business class for all his travels and does not offer the presidential fleet of Argentina for his son’s birthday. Likewise, there is no settlement for his hangers-on and political allies through unwieldy and burdensome appointments to public offices.

“Argentina’s Milei did not build the largest government like Tinubu did at a time when our economy was and still on its knees.

“The examples set by President Milei are the requirement of leadership in a time when the economy has begun to fail the expectations of the people.”

He noted that the reforms so far implemented by the Tinubu administration were ad hoc and hurriedly put together without proper review, unlike Argentina’s Milei, who is sequencing his reforms.

According to him, Milei anticipates the after-reform shocks and admits that things will be tough for the people, but is fully prepared for the aftershocks and has in place mitigating pills.

“He walks the talk. He makes sacrifices himself by giving up perks of office. It is not business-as-usual for the presidency while the people are called upon to make sacrifices.

“Argentina runs a lean government by reducing the number of ministries, privatising nearly 40 state-owned enterprises, and reducing wasteful spending,” he added.

Atiku however said that Tinubu in Nigeria increased the number of ministers and ministries and is spending enormous resources renovating houses for himself, his deputy, and the first lady.

“That is nothing short of Nero playing fiddle while Rome is on fire!” he said.