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The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been charged to always do research, get its facts and figures right before dabbling into issues. Otherwise, the party should shut up and stop embarrassing itself and what remains of its dwindling membership with its “kai-kai induced beer parlour rantings”. The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) made this charge as it knocked the PDP for what it described as the opposition party’s unwitting and baseless criticism of a slash in the budget for primary health care and universal basic education. This didn’t happen, says BMO. The group in a statement signed by Niyi Akinsiju and Cassidy Madueke, it’s Chairman and Secretary respectively, stated that the PDP rushed to put out a statement on something it had zero knowledge of, thus exposing its lack of understanding of how government works. “The PDP rushed to put out a statement claiming that the government had slashed the budget items for primary health and that for universal basic education – a claim that is entirely untrue – and went ahead to make baseless submissions from those untruths. “For a party that held the reins of power for 16 years, it is embarrassing that they do not know the least basics of governance; this is telling of why they failed, were rejected and booted out by the Nigerian people. “There was never a slash. According to the Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze: ‘Statutory transfers to UBEC (Basic Education) and BHCPF (Basic Health) are set by LAW at 2% and 1% respectively of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). Therefore, when the Covid-19 pandemic eroded the CRF, the budgetary provisions were automatically adjusted in accordance with the applicable laws.’ “These are the basic principles of budgeting and governance. It has become clear that the PDP does not know the elementary principles of how to run a country – how much more, to run a country in the face of a crisis. Nigerians must be grateful to God that the PDP is not the party in power overseeing the country during this pandemic. “The PDP can simply not give what it does not have – the tact and understanding of governance and government.” BMO stated that the President Buhari administration met a comatose health sector which it has been ploughing resources to revive. “When the Buhari administration came on board in 2015, it met the country’s healthcare at its lowest ebb. It immediately commenced the resuscitation of our healthcare sector by putting in place more primary health care centres across the nook and crannies of the country. Among others, it also provided the needed critical funds for the building of specialised cancer treatment centres in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia. “With the COVID 19 pandemic, 500 Billion Naira has been dedicated as an intervention fund by the President Buhari administration to upgrade Nigeria’s health care sector. This administration does not just have its priorities set right, it is working hard and unshaken towards the goals becoming realities. “This same administration dedicated the highest funds ever put in place for the disadvantaged, unemployed and poor people in the country – a yearly 500 Billion Naira was allocated for three years for the Social Investment Programmes (SIP) that has touched over 40 million lives directly and indirectly till date.” The group stated that the PDP must learn the art of opposition and not just speak for speaking sake, but do so with wisdom. “The party must learn to pause, research and think before it speaks – else it will continue to mock itself in public. The party continues to fail, from its years in running the government, and even as an opposition party”, the statement added |
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