Former Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has called on President Bola Tinubu to disclose the true state of Nigeria’s economy to the public.
He emphasized that the problems facing the country are significant and must be addressed promptly to find effective solutions.
The elder statesman made these remarks while assessing President Tinubu’s first year in office.
During a press conference on Thursday, George urged Nigerians to give Tinubu more time, stating that one year is insufficient for a comprehensive evaluation of his administration.
He noted that Tinubu may not be entirely accountable for the current crisis in the country, as the situation has been brewing between 2015 and 2023 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
George pointed out that the Nigerian state almost collapsed, considering the eight-year era under Buhari was probably the worst in Nigerian history since 1960.
According to him, “We can still give the excuse that he had only done one year out of the four years hoping that he is learning from the mistakes of the past. We’ve got to be fair to ourselves. He needs to learn the ropes. Anywhere in the world that first year is used for understanding the system. The President alone cannot do everything. It looks just like yesterday. I don’t want to start firing arrows against him. By this time next year he would have done two years. You heard what he said two days ago, he told his ministers to go and give their scorecards. It is not a 100 meters dash race
“This crisis became complicated between 2015 and 2023 during the administration of my oga President Muhammadu Buhari
“The Nigerian state almost collapsed because many Nigerians will agree that that eight-year era was probably the worst in Nigerian history since 1960 when we got our independence. It was as if nobody was in charge of the country.
“Everything promised before the 2015 general elections was observed in the breach by the Buhari administration.
“Despite that calamity, it is a pity that some Nigerians have come out to defend that administration, which ruled Nigeria for eight years.
“They’re now blaming the Bola Tinubu administration which has spent about one year in office. Government administration is not a hundred-meter dash race. We’ll advise and condemn so that in a year’s time, we can assess the methodology and performance of the Government.
“Pitiably, some Nigerians have resorted to a blame game. Let me advise that we have to be careful in this country because Nigeria is not for any individual, group or region.
“Nigeria belongs to everybody. It’s through cooperation and unanimity of purpose that we can lift the country up. Tinubu should also come out and tell Nigerians the true position of things in the country. This is not the time to play party or regional politics. Nigerians have suffered enough and they want fast results.”