Former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku has said that it is patently misleading to compare Nigeria’s borrowing binge with developed countries.
The former vice-president stated this during his presentation at the Nigeria Economic Summit Group’s ‘Presidential Dialogue on the Economy’, which was held at the Summit House, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday.
According to the presidential candidate, “Many of the challenges facing our dear country are connected to poor economic performance and its consequences for our people. It is critical, therefore, that we get the economy right.
“I have been a private businessman for a long time, and have also been a public servant at the highest level of decision-making and implementation. Thus, I feel comfortable among captains of industry and public sector economists and practitioners.
“I am uniquely positioned to understand the economic challenges facing the country and what we must do to get our economy growing, provide jobs, incomes and wealth for our people and thereby reducing hunger, unemployment and related social problems, including insecurity”, he further stated.
“When we create economic opportunities for our people it will have a significant positive impact on social cohesion and national security.
“Increased jobs and income opportunities will reduce the likelihood of our youth being involved in crime, violence and conflict motivated by the manipulation of religious or ethnic differences”, the Wazirin Adamawa added.
According to him, “Experience is important and we must avoid the mistakes of the recent past. It is too risky for Nigerians to hand over their future to a greenhorn, or to the National Leader of the very party that brought us to this sorry pass”.
