Tinubu’s Independence Day speech rhetorical, bereft of solutions, says APM campaign

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) Presidential Campaign Organisation has dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day broadcast as a rhetorical exercise bereft of solutions to national challenges.

The Director, Strategic Communications, Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, Richard Ihediwa, in a statement on Thursday, said it is disappointing that the President failed to present specific policy commitments to the security and economic problems in the country.

Ihediwa noted the absence of binding policy commitments to national challenges by President Tinubu was an indication that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration has no solution to the myriad of challenges confronting the country.

According to him, “It is indeed disappointing that the President’s address failed to present specific, measurable and binding economy and security policy commitments for which Nigerians can hold him accountable. Instead, the speech remained vague and failed to provide concrete answers or direction on major national issues.

“This lack of binding policy commitment shows that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has no solution to the challenges facing our nation. In the four consecutive Independence Anniversary speeches presented by President Tinubu since he assumed office in 2023, Nigerians have listened to promises of a better future that never came.

“It is absurd for Mr President to claim in his speech that his administration’s reforms did not weaken the economy when the abrupt removal of subsidy on petrol and the floating of the Naira created a calamitous economic shockwave that led to an astronomical rise in the pump price of fuel from N187 per litre to N1,500 today and the weakening of our currency from N460 to $1 to about N1,380 today.”

He noted that the alleged negative impacts of President Tinubu’s reforms have resulted in the crippling of the productive sector, closure of millions of businesses and high cost of living.

“Due to the negative impact of President Tinubu’s reforms, major multinationals including GlaxoSmithKline, Procter and Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, PZ Cussons, Equinor, Microsoft, Uber and a host of others have left our nation.”

“It is also incongruous that the President’s speech promised prosperity to the citizens when it presented no decisive plans to address Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit which has hit an estimated $2.3 trillion; no concrete commitment for agriculture, industrialisation and local manufacturing. It presented no clear-cut strategy to repay the nation’s foreign debts which have accumulated to an upsetting N166.7 trillion under the current administration.

“Is it not ironic that while Mr President is promising prosperity to Nigerians, his government is still busy seeking more foreign loans including the recent request for $1.5 billion loan from the World Bank?

“On insecurity, it is saddening that the Independence Day speech had no soothing or reassuring words to millions of Nigerian families and communities who are victims of the daily killings, maiming and abductions going on under the APC administration.”

Ihediwa noted that it is obvious that Nigerians deserve a new leadership that listens to them, understands their struggles and takes responsibility as well as delivers results.

He added: “That is why the people are gravitating towards the Presidential Candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Engr Seyi Makinde, who has demonstrated the capacity, energy, commitment and the required blueprint to Reset Nigeria to a nation where the security, interest and wellbeing of all citizens are guaranteed.

“The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign therefore urges Nigerians not to despair but use their votes to salvage our nation from the misrule of the APC, come 16 January 2027.”

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