Tobias Sylvester
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, for asking President Muhammadu Buhari to apologize to Nigerians over loans his government took from China.
Nigerians had last week expressed concern over the terms of agreement on the loans taken by Buhari’s government from China, saying the terms of agreement suggest the country has sold its sovereignty to the China.
In a statement on Sunday, Atiku asked President Buhari to apologize to Nigerians over what he described as “reckless borrowing by the present APC administration and how the terms of those loans could compromise the future of the country.”
Atiku claimed that the Buhari administration was borrowing to fund unproductive ventures and trading Nigeria’s sovereignty for some cheap loans which, in the light of unfolding revelations of sleaze in some departments of government, would have ended in private pockets.
Reacting to Atiku’s statement in a telephone interview, APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said Atiku is not in any position to tell Buhari to apologize.
Nabena noted that Atiku and the PDP plundered the nation’s fortunes while they were in power and it is the many years of their misrule that the APC and the Buhari administration is trying to fix.
He denied allegations that Buhari’s government is spending on unnecessary projects, and added that the former Vice-President insulted the sensibility of Nigerians by his call.
“This is the person that should apologise to Nigerians. His party plundered the fortunes of the country due to their recklessness,” APC said.
“Vice-President Abubakar is not in any position to talk about borrowing and not paying back or apologising to Nigerians on any loan facility taken by this administration.
“He should be the one to apologise to Nigerians on how his party, the PDP, and the administration he served as Vice-President took loan for the Power sector but have nothing to show for it.
“Same goes for the railway, where the PDP-led administration borrowed huge sums of money without anything physically to justify the money borrowed on ground.
“Is it not ironical that Alhaji Abubakar will be accusing a government that borrowed and we can see what the money is being used for?
“It is on record that the loans taken so far by President Buhari’s administration are being spent on purpose for which they were obtained and the projects are physically on the ground for all to see.
“Atiku Abubakar lacks the locus to ask the APC led government to apologise; rather, he and his party should apologise to Nigerians for plundering the country into the mess we are now.
“Should the PDP government have judiciously utilised the loans they secured, even when our economy was bouyant and crude oil was selling for over $100 per barrel, there wouldn’t have been any need for the loans being sought by President Buhari.
“Sincerely speaking, former Vice-President Abubakar should have maintained a dignified silence than insulting the sensibility of our people.
“He should be patriotic enough to admit that the financial recklessness of his party pushed the country and our economy into the woods and not the other way round.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has insisted that the Nigerian Government will pay back loans collected from China for the construction of rail projects within the stipulated period of 20 years.
