Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have lamented the skyrocketing cost of living and the continuous free fall of the naira. Speaking with journalists after their meeting on Monday in Abuja, the PDP Governors Forum and Bauchi governor, Bala Mohammed, said Nigeria is “almost on the road to Venezuela” due to current economic hardship in the country.
He said, “The rising cost of living is not only under the purview of the federal government.
“We have been partnering together with them to make sure that we don’t bring any distraction but the monetary and economic policies rests squarely with the federal government.
“What we are doing is giving positive criticism to the obnoxious policies of the federal government.
“But at the onset of this administration, we supported the removal of subsidy, we believed that there were safeguards, we believed that if we took collective decisions, we should go by it.
“But certainly, we have seen that it is a free fall for the naira. The cost of living is going high, we are almost on the road to Venezuela.
“So we are giving concrete opposition but not insulting anybody.
“But ultimately the decision squarely rests with Nigerians and other organs in the country to make sure that we do things that will bring succour to all of us.”
Also in a communique, the governors restated their call for the establishment of state police, considering the rising insecurity in the country.
“We reiterate our call for state police with appropriate safeguards to avoid any abuse or overreach by any tier of government,” the communique said.
The PDP governors called on the federal government to urgently embark on initiatives involving state and local governments to bring a lasting solution to the security and economic crises.
The communique added that, “The PDP Governors will continue to play their part in the effort to bring security and succour to our people.”
