Former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s decision to purchase a new presidential jet amid Nigeria’s deepening economic crisis. Duke described the move as a failure of leadership, especially at a time when Nigerians were enduring some of the harshest economic conditions since the country’s independence.
Duke said while appearing as a guest on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television on Friday “There is no glamour in saying your people are going through hard times. It’s a failure of your leadership. If I’m the head of a family, I want my family to have everything. I don’t want life to be difficult for them.
“If life is difficult, then I feel I’ve failed to provide for them or do the things I ought to have done. I’d ask him (Tinubu) to see the Nigerian nation as his family. What is good for his family is good for the nation,” the former governor said.
“Buying a new aircraft or yacht or living large is a failure. You can’t have kids who are hungry, and you are living lavishly, going to parties and wearing the biggest agbada.”
Recall that the Tinubu administration unveiled the new Presidential Jet -Airbus A330, which it acquired against widespread criticism in the midst of national socioeconomic hardships in the country
Duke, who served as governor of Cross River State from 1999 to 2007, did not mince words when addressing the symbolic implications of such extravagant purchases.
Duke urged President Tinubu to reconsider his policies and actions, warning that the current trajectory is unsustainable. He specifically criticized the administration’s decision to float the Nigerian currency, a policy he described as poorly conceived and not fully thought through.
“We’ve got to revisit all these policies and put our people first,” the former governor said.
“I still question this thing called [fuel] subsidy. Now that we have a few private refineries coming up. It’s to ask them how much it will cost to refine a barrel of oil. If they give you the price X, you add Y and tell them,’This is what my people can afford.’ And not gauge it on what the international price is,” he said.
“The policy of floating the currency was a mistake because it wasn’t thought through,” Duke said.
The 2019 Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate lamented the state of insecurity in the country. He attributed the increasing insecurity to lack of consequences. He said, “If I had the opportunity, I wouldn’t confirm a Service Chief. I’ll give you three months ‘Go work it out. If you don’t get it right in three months, you go.’ I’m prepared to have a Service Chief every three months until we get it right.”
He noted that one of the key reforms the nation needs to see to address its numerous challenges is in the judiciary. He said, “Most people don’t bother to go to court because it takes so long and becomes so expensive.”
The former governor linked the recent #EndBadGovernance protests to widespread dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration. According to Duke, these protests are akin to children expressing their unhappiness with a failing parent. “A protest is like your kids coming to tell you that ‘Daddy, I am not happy with you. You have failed to do this and do that for me’,” Duke explained.
He also highlighted the ongoing issues surrounding the importation of fuel, noting that it continues to exert immense pressure on the naira, primarily due to entrenched corruption in the system. “The largest pressure on the Nigerian currency is the importation of fuel, and the way it is being done, it is fuelled by corruption. So, we are paying the price for it,” Duke noted.”
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