Phrank Shaibu condemns President Tinubu’s live broadcast

A man at odds with everything President Bola Tinubu, Phrank Shaibu, Presidential aide to Abubakar Atiku, the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections has hit at the President’s nationwide broadcast.

According to Phrank Shaibu, he considers the broadcast as uninspiring and deceptive.

The aide to the former Vice President goes on to describe the nationwide broadcast as nothing short of a complete waste of time.

In his defense, he explains the only reason the speech was given was to convince the organised labour not to embark on a nationwide protest.

In a statement he signed, Atiku’s aide maintained that Tinubu’s broadcast was only an afterthought after the removing of petrol subsidy that was carried out without a due thought process or plan to ameliorate the sufferings of the Nigerian people who have continually gotten poorer since the All Progressives Congress, APC, took power in 2015.

According to Shaibu:

“Tinubu’s speech was hurriedly put together in order to dissuade the suffering masses and the organised labour from embarking on protests. Rather than apologise for removing subsidy without providing a cushion for the poor, he went about accusing subsidy thieves of being behind the current suffering. If he is sure of this, why hasn’t he arrested them?

“Tinubu also lied when he claimed that he had for years been an advocate of subsidy removal. This was a man who in 2012 described petrol subsidy removal as “the Goodluck Jonathan tax” and sponsored protests in Lagos State. After he dubiously got to power, he lacked imagination on how to address the issue and then removed the subsidy but without a plan.”

Shaibu also explains that Tinubu’s so-called plans to provide N50,000 grants to small businesses would be defeated by the current inflation, exchange rate problems and corruption in the top tier levels.

He added,

“Tinubu says he will provide N50,000 (roughly $60) to 1, 300 nano businesses. This is reminiscent of the dubious trader moni and the monthly N20,000 spent on the public works programme of the last APC government which not only failed to stimulate the economy but also worsened poverty as funds went into private pockets.

“What mechanism is in place to ensure that poor Nigerians access this? The answer is none. This is nothing but deception as we shall all see in the coming weeks.”

Phrank Shaibu goes on to question Tinubu’s plan to give 500,000 hectares of land to farmers in order to boost agriculture, considering the insecurity that continues to plague farmers.

“The Land Use Act puts lands under the purview of the governors. His so-called plan to provide 500,000 hectares is just part of the deception and a continuation of Buhari’s failed promises.

“Besides, just on Saturday, farmers were killed and others kidnapped in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State. Till now, there has not been a word from the Presidential Villa.

“Most of the communities being attacked are agrarian communities which rely on farming. What sort of plan can you implement in the agric sector without first tackling insecurity?”

Backing his statement for the fuel subsidy removal being carelessly planned, Phrank Shaibu uses the President’s statement on the minimum wage as evidence.

“Shouldn’t the discussion on the increase of minimum wage have been done prior to subsidy removal? This is the height of cluelessness, putting the cart before the horse,” Shaibu stated.