The Minister of National Planning in the previous administration, Dr Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman has lambasted former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Prof Charles Soludo for claiming that former President, Goodluck Jonathan had the worst economic management team, saying his statement was borne out of political desperation.
Soludo had while delivering a lecture titled: “Can a New Buharinomics Save Nigeria’, tried to draw comparison between Nigeria’s economic growth rate and other fast developing economies like India, China, Russia, berating the past administration for poor management.
He said at the event organized by Realnews Magazine that: “Nigeria is at war with itself, and is currently on the ‘High Alert’ list of Failed/Fragile States. Surprisingly, this ignoble status of Nigeria as a ‘High Alert’ failed state (bequeathed by PDP) does not even feature in our public discourse.”
Reacting the former minister’s claim in a statement sent to Sunday Sun that Soludo’s analysis lacked substance since he had earlier agreed that Nigeria became the largest economy in Africa and 26th in the world.
According to him, “I will rather prefer that Ndigbo respond to him. It was purely an ethnic/elitist issue. Besides, if he could admit the fact that Nigeria became the largest economy in Africa and 26th in the world; what other indices is he using to measure a good manager? Soludo is a politician and what he is doing is pure politics; a manifestation of a frustrated jobber.”
He went on to praise President Jonathan for the comprehensive blueprint on infrastructure development which his administration handed over to the current government, expressing fears, however, that there might be policy somersault, as President Muhammadu Buhari seems not to be excited about implementing the programme.
