- Wale Edu: Printing of Over N22trn…cause of Crisis
- Bashir Ahmad, Buhari’s ex-Aide: Why dont you amplify the many accomplishments of the past govt…?
- Paul Ibe: Wale is simply Bleating…
By Abiola Olawale
The Federal Government under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is having a public battle of words with the camp of immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari over allegations of printing over N22 trillion.
The allegation was made public on Wednesday after Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun disclosed that the policies of the immediate past administration resulted in the free printing of Naira for eight years without corresponding production.
Edun who appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Sani Musa, said free printing of the naira for eight years up to N22.7 trillion by the administration of Buhari without a corresponding improvement in productive activities is one of the major errors responsible for the country’s current economic situation.
Speaking on measures to revamp the economy among other issues, Edun said the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had done a lot, including efforts to stabilize the naira against the dollar and the implementation of a more transparent social welfare scheme for the citizenry.
“The inflation is due largely to eight years of printing the naira, which was not matched by production”, Edun stated.
This has been causing a massive battle of words between the supporters of Tinubu and Buhari, the New Diplomat gathered. The camp of Buhari has berated the camp of Tinubu for constantly discrediting the administration of their principal.
A former aide of Buhari, Bashir Ahmad who took to his official X handle wondered why this government is amplifying the failures of this principal rather than acknowledging the successes.
He tweeted, “I often wonder why, as a government, we concentrate more on amplifying the faults of the previous administration rather than acknowledging its numerous achievements. The PDP seems to have a more skillful approach to politics than we do in the APC. As Abdul’aziz has pointed out, it’s rare to find instances where President Yar’adua’s (PDP) government criticized President Obasanjo’s (PDP) or where President Jonathan’s (PDP) government faulted President Yar’adua’s (PDP).
“There are numerous accomplishments from the previous administration that we could build upon while discreetly addressing its failures. This approach would bring up unity within the ruling party. President Tinubu requires the full support of his party, not just for the upcoming 2027 elections but also for supporting his policies. We know no matter how good they may look, the opposition will always find a way to rubbish or undermine them just to distract our party from governance.
“Since May 2023, we seem to have provided more ammunition to our opponents rather than strategies to put them on the defensive, which would allow the government to focus more on continuing to deliver its best for the country.
“If we had not been creating room for PDP, how could a member of the party even come here and remind us about their administration? The party spent 16 years during the oil boom without anything tangible to show for it.”
Also, since the emergence of the allegation of the printing of N22 Trillion during the administration, many Nigerians have dug out a past statement acknowledging Tinubu, asking his predecessor to print more naira as a mode of solving the economic challenges of the country.
The spokesman of Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Paul Ibe, who amplified the statement that Tinubu once encouraged Buhari to print naira in 2020.
Ibe faulted the minister’s remark stressing that Tinubu encouraged Buhari to take such an irresponsible path in 2020.
Posting on Facebook, Ibe wrote: “Why is Wale Edun, who is more like oku eko (frozen fish) in this administration, bleating like a goat over the issue of Buhari’s printing of Naira? It was Bola Tinubu, as National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, who in 2020, encouraged Buhari on this irresponsible path of printing currency not matched with productivity.”
In a counter reaction, the Presidency has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu advised former President Muhammadu Buhari to print Naira in 2020.
A Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, described such a claim as erroneous.
Onanuga, who took to his official X handle, recalled that Tinubu had clarified the issue when it was first reported.
He wrote: “President Tinubu did not advise the Buhari administration to print Naira, the way it was erroneously reported in 2020. He provided a clarification in Thisday of 30 March 2020, a day after the false report came out.”
