The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), has tackled President Muhammadu Buhari for claiming that he has done his best for Nigerians in the last seven and half years insisting that his administration has failed completely and left Nigerians worse off.
The National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu who Wednesday was reacting to a statement by the President in far away Washington through his spokesman, Garba Shehu that he has done his best for Nigerians, insisted that the claim by the President was nothing but image laundrying in foreign land.
According to Dr. Pogu, “that statement from him was a self assessment. Of course nobody will say anything negative about himself. But we are Nigerians and we know that his performance has been below average.”
“Whether you talk of the economy, you talk of the security which was the main issue in his campaign when he came into power, and other indices you will know that he has failed and left Nigerians worse off.”
“When you talk of the economy, recall that when he came in 2015 the Dollar was exchanging for about N197 but today in the open market it is exchanging for almost N800. Prices of goods and services have gone beyond the imagination of anybody. There is so much poverty and you can see poverty on the faces of majority of Nigerians. Insecurity has grown from the Boko Haram in the North East to  nationwide killings, kidnappings for ransom and all of that.”
“If you talk of infrastructural develpment, there is nothing to celebrate about. You cannot say yes this is an achievement that he can talk about.”
“So I think he just wanted to launder his image but I believe the Embassies of foreign countries are here in Nigeria and they know the truth about what Nigerians have been going through in seven and half years. And we Nigerians also know the truth."
“And even look at the area of crude oil which is the main source of our revenue. We cannot even meet our OPEC quota. It has never happened. Even when the insurgency in the Niger Delta was on before the then President Yar’dua brought the amnesty programme, it was never this bad that we could not meet our quota from OPEC. Most of our crude is being stolen than being sold officially.”
“So looking at these indices, what the President has said is far from what obtains in this country. It is better for Mr. President to accept that he has failed in so many areas but that he would do his best to right some of the wrongs before he leaves office. I think that would have been a better thing to say than to say that he has done his best.”