Campaign team slams Atiku on economy

The Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation has condemned the claim by the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar that the economy under President Goodluck Jonathan is declining.

Mr Abubakar had, during a press conference last Tuesday,alleged that the president was mismanaging the economy. He also criticised the depletion of the excess crude account and the poor performance of the budget.

But the director of research and strategy of the organization, Mike Omeri said yesterday that Mr Abubakar merely displayed stark ignorance on the performance of the economy.

Mr Omeri, who described the former vice president as a mischief maker, said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF)has since acknowledged the upward movement of our economy and has rated it buoyant. “We maintained that Nigeria’s external debt at the point of exit in 2005 was $3.5 billion dollars and only rose to $4.5 billion dollars in 2010,” he said. “Only this month, the IMF confirmed that the economy of sub-Saharan African will be among the best performing in the world this year and next, lagging only behind those in emerging Asia. IMF also raised its growth forecast for Nigeria’s economy to 7.4 percent in both 2010 and 2011 from 7 percent and 7.3 percent respectively.” He added that at the moment, the nation’s public debt to Gross Domestic Products(GDP) is 11.8 percent, while that of the United Kingdom(UK) is 68.20 percent, United States of America (USA) 53.50 percent and Brazil59.50 percent.

Mr Omeri said the Jonathan administration’s economic policies are sound, citing international global rating as basis for faulting the position of the former vice president.

“In fact, we are the third fastest growing economy in the world today by IMF and World Bank. Anybody can go the internet and download this information. Our economy rating since Obasanjo administration till date has remained B.B rating,” he said.

“We have not been downgraded. With all the respect, Atiku displayed emptiness and ignorance on our economy, and such a man should not dream or contemplate managing an economy he knows next to nothing about.”

Focus on issues

He also alleged that Mr Atiku mortgaged the Nigerian economy when he held sway as vice president between 1999 to 2007.

“We are all witnesses to the kind of economy Atiku ran as Vice President when he mortgaged our common heritage to himself and his cronies. Atiku is the least person to talk about an economy he ran aground. He lacked the moral standing and should be schooled on basic economics.

Mr Omeri asked Mr Atiku to focus his campaign on issues instead of engaging in mudslinging.