The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described claims and economic assertions in President Muhammadu Buhari’s Independence Day anniversary address as “a huge slap on the sensibilities of Nigerians.”
Also, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum said it was “shameful” that the President choose to lecture Nigerians “on why we had to pay more for fuel.”
Buhari had in the address on Thursday, argued that oil-producing nations like Ghana, Egypt, Niger Republic and Saudi Arabia sell petrol at a higher price than Nigeria.
But, the PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan, stated that the attempt to justify the N161 pump price in Nigeria with the N168 in Saudi Arabia was” a morbid joke.”
It wondered the essence of the comparison between a country (Saudi Arabia) that pays N305,113 minimum wage with Nigeria that has N30,000 as its own minimum pay.
The party therefore charged Buhari to wake up to reality and take demonstrable steps to address the divisive tendencies and poor economic policies of his administration, “which are fast decimating our dear nation under his watch.”.
The statement reads partly: “Is Mr. President not aware that, on the average, a person working in Saudi Arabia earns around 4,230SAR (N430, 267) to 16,700 SAR (N1,698,693) per month?
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“Our party charges Mr. President to always check his books before making such offensive comparisons, including the price in Egypt where monthly average earning is around N222, 841 (9,200 EGP) against our N30,000.”