Caleb Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau State, bemoaned the economic hardships that Nigerians are experiencing on Monday and attributed them on President Muhammadu Buhari’s previous administration.
Speaking on Monday at the Rayfield Government House in Jos during the swearing-in of 22 Special Advisers and heads of other government agencies appointed by his administration, the governor said that President Bola Tinubu inherited Nigeria’s worst-performing economy from Buhari since the nation began its democratic experiment in 1999.
“We are in a very difficult moment in this country’s history, and I’m an advocate that you forget politics and face governance after the election,” the governor declared.
“And even though a party other than mine is in charge of the Federal Government, I have an obligation to inform Nigerians that the circumstances this government took over were worse than those of 1999.
“We just produced money up to the amount of N30 trillion and dispersed it in the economy this government inherited. The economy that this government took over was one in which the crude oil that hasn’t yet been extracted has already been sold.
Therefore, it’s not rocket science when it comes to the naira’s depreciation. Under the previous administration, we sold our future. It makes sense why there are riots happening right now and why people are stealing food. On the plateau, we are fortunate to maybe have access to more food than many other states.
And while I hope that there won’t be a riot of this nature over food on the Plateau, it still implies that we need to roll up our sleeves and go to work. Because of this, when the government announced that one of the roles would deal with food security, people laughed, even though it is a serious subject.
The governor declared that his administration would establish a $300 million special agro-processing zone in Barkin Ladi LGA in collaboration with the African Development Bank.
In order to help his administration turn around the dire circumstances for the benefit of the populace, he urged the recently appointed officials to rise to the occasion.