Nigeria would have been a failed state, says Omo- Agege’s aide

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

SPECIAL Mr Godwin Anaughe, Adviser to the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate on Special Duties, said on Tuesday that if President Muhammadu Buhari had not intervened, Nigeria would have been a failed state in totality, similar to Venezuela, the way the PDP was going.

In an interview with the reporters Anaughe stated that “when President Buhari took office in May 2015, the economy was in free fall due to falling crude oil prices.” It eventually entered a recession in the second quarter of 2016 as a result of falling crude oil prices and renewed unrest in the Niger Delta, as the falling annual real GDP growth that began in 2013 slowed to a halt.

“After five consecutive quarters of negative growth, President Muhammadu Buhari halted the economy’s slide into depression in the second quarter of 2018 and set it on the path to recovery.”

“Unfortunately, Nigeria entered its worst economic recession in over three decades in 2019, with a 3.62 percent contraction in the third quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic that affected every country in the world.”

“However, Nigeria exited the recession earlier than expected in the following quarter due to growth in the non-oil sector; taken as a whole, as government policy to make this sector the main growth sector began to bear fruit.”

“Since then, the Nigerian economy has remained on a positive trajectory, expanding for the seventh consecutive quarter, despite the fact that foreign exchange earnings have lagged for the majority of the period.”

“According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ most recent GDP report, Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 3.54% year on year in real terms in the second quarter of 2022.” This demonstrates that the Nigerian economy is performing exceptionally well in a variety of areas, particularly agriculture.

“The Buhari administration has continued to prioritize long-term infrastructure spending to catalyze rapid economic development in the area of infrastructure development.” This has enabled the government to complete long-abandoned projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan rail network, the Warri-Itakpe irrigation project, over 200 dams and irrigation projects, and no less than five airports.

“The Second Niger Bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which the PDP abandoned for 16 years, will be completed this year.” Over 13,000 kilometers of road, including bridges, are nearing completion across the country.

“Under the Buhari administration, increased long-term infrastructure investment has made the economy stronger and better able to withstand external shocks, particularly falling crude oil prices.”
The bottom line is that the PDP is to blame for the current state of affairs in the country. During their tenure in office, they squandered vast amounts of oil revenue.

“Buhari and the APC inherited this mess in 2015, kept the country from sinking, got Nigeria back on its feet, and started the long, hard road to recovery by laying the groundwork for a diversified, strong economy that will generate desperately needed jobs and business opportunities for our people.”

“Had President Buhari not intervened, Nigeria would have become a failed state in its entirety, similar to Venezuela, the way the PDP was heading.” Unfortunately, the government does not receive the credit it deserves for its achievements.

“The perception among a large number of Nigerians is that the government is doing nothing, and the communication effort from Aso Rock has been, to put it mildly, uncertain and ineffective for the most part.” The government, the APC, and the presidential campaign must do a much better job of making their case to Nigerians.”