Northeast PDP Leaders: PDP is Not the Solution; It’s part of the problem

The similitude of the PDP is as that of a reckless father who abused and exposed his house to cancer through unhealthy lifestyles. The mother eventually caught cancer. Neglected and untreated, the malignancy metastasised to stage IV. The APC took over the patient and began chemotherapy in other to save her life—it’s painful and with some serious side effects but after the treatment she’ll be fine.

But Northeast PDP leaders have other ideas. On October 17, Thisday, Leadership et al. reported the zonal working committee and states chairmen of PDP in the Northeast, after their meeting in Bauchi, saying we must abandon the chemotherapy because it’s painful and has some side effects. Instead, return to PDP juju, magic, witch doctors and marabouts to treat the cancer and other ills they infected Nigeria with. That’s crazy. PDP’s “solutions” can only make the cancer terminal.

The three out of many malignancies causing what the PDP oft-complain about are their legacies: corruption, neolibral economics and refusal to save for the rainy day — recall the oil boom days of the PDP. Instead of saving, Sunusi Lamido Sunusi, then the CBN governor, said they stole $50 billion or at least $20 billion.

Sure, energy costs are relatively high. Yesterday, I bought petrol at ₦1,200 a litre. We buy a unit of electricity at ₦225 (band A.) Today I bought cooking gas at ₦1,400 per kg.

Why is the energy cost so high? One, because of the system we operate: freemarket economy. In 1999 when the then military rulers headed by Gen Abdussalami decided to handover to the PDP led by Obasanjo, they, irreversibly, foisted on us this system. They told us that “government has no business in business.” Therefore, they privatised everything privatisable. They liberalised everything liberalisable and deregulated. And so fraudulently done.

The PDP “privatised” NEPA or PHCN in 2013. Those that “bought” PHCN; the DISCOS and GENCOS say Nigerians must buy electricity at a price reflective of the costs. That’s how we arrived at what we pay for electricity now. And they say the worse is yet to come. These companies’ sole aim is to make profit if not profiteering. It’s Friedman’s doctrine. So, who do we blame for this high cost of electricity? Those that privatised the PHCN. Or the profiteering DISCOS and GENCOS. Certainly not APC.

PDP’s corruption exacerbated all that. Imagine they judiciously utilised the $16 BILLION that the PDP under Obasanjo misappropriated in the name of providing electricity only to provide darkness. (NIPP House of Representatives investigative report)

Similarly, the PDP were responsible for the deregulation of the petroleum industry and commercialisation of the NNPC. All this means higher costs of petroleum products particularly petrol. The PDP were the brain child of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which flowed from the Rilwan Lukman Report of 2008. This PIA, like ota-pia-pia, killed the subsidy that the federal government pays which hitherto ensured cheap petrol for Nigerians. And that’s why we buy petrol at about ₦1,200. Dangote is sharpening his knife though!

The PDP deliberately destroyed NITEL/MTEL so that foreign companies will dominate the telecom industry. Now these companies make trillions in Nigeria, turn it to dollars and repatriate it abroad. They destroyed all public enterprises and robbed us all in the name of government has no business in business. This led to job losses and asset stripping. (Ƴar Adu’a government accused Indian firm GIHL of asset stripping)

PDP’s neolibralism, freemarket economy hurt Nigeria and Nigerians. It’s their only solution as proclaimed by Atiku during the last presidential election campaigns. And we all know that to be no solutions. It’s only intended to help themselves and their billionaire friends. And those are doing well, very well – but Nigerians aren’t.

To tweak the words of Nobel laureate, Joseph Stiglitz, PDP’s “Neoliberal economics expanded the freedom of corporations to exploit Nigerians, it did not lead to overall prosperity, let alone shared prosperity. Moreover, neoliberalism is not even sustainable, because it encourages individual traits and market behaviour that undermine the functioning of the economy.”

The problem is we’re stuck with this neoliberal economics of the PDP. The agreement PDP entered into while privatising our priced assets are made in such a way to be effectively irreversible. During his time as minister of power, works and housing, Fashola lamented the treasonous deal PDP signed while selling NEPA to themselves and their cronies: the penalty for reversing the deal is worse than the privatisation. It’s death for Nigeria.

Besides, the liberal hegemony of this world won’t take it kindly if we now reverse the course the PDP forced us in. We’re forced by the West to stay the course, sometimes, “at gunpoint” to borrow from Max Boot. Last year at BRICS meeting in South Africa, President Xi of China said Nigeria and other developing countries are compelled by the West to accept neoliberal economics. President Putin, Noam Chomsky et al. have echoed similar sentiments.

Unlike the freemarket and neolibral PDP, the APC Constitution under Article 7(vi) is crystal clear on the public participation and control of “major means of production, distribution and exchange.” It also advocates for a welfare state in the mold of Aristotelian democracy. This is the best way to solving our problems, bring about shared prosperity, reduce inequality not PDP’s old ways that laid the foundation of our current predicament.

Besides the $16 billion PDP under Obasanjo misappropriated and the $50 or $20 billion Sunusi said PDP stole under Jonathan, NEITI uncovered “$11.6 billion missing from NLNG Company dividend payments.” and another $13.7 billion worth of oil stolen from 2009 to 2012. Now, these four PDP heists alone would have made our Naira equal to few US dollars had the PDP saved same or invested it in our foreign reserve.

Clearly, the Nigeria APC and President Tinubu inherited from the corrupt PDP is an Augean Stable which Tinubu’s resolved to muck out. It’s a heavy cross to bear and PDP has forced him to do it the hard way. Make no mistake, president Tinubu will take us to the promised land of a trillion dollar economy, shared prosperity, reduced inequality, sustainable growth and development. Nigerians, please be patient: “Verily those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!” (Qur’an 39:10)

Saadu is the Chairman APC Publicity Committee, Bauchi and Director-General emeritus BASEPA.