…Says Zoning Is Dubious Narration
Former presidential aspirant, Gbenga Hashim-Olawepo, says what happened to Nigeria’s economy during the 10 years of the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government is a disaster.
Hashim-Olawepo, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said this on Wednesday during an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.
According to him, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, 20 years ago, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was leaving office, was larger than it is Today.
The politician stated that Nigeria was the leading economy in Africa by the time former President Goodluck Jonathan handed over to APC’s Muhammadu Buhari, but was now struggling between fourth and fifth positions, a situation he described as a disaster.
“The GDP of Nigeria Today is between 220 billion to 230 billion. That’s according to the International Monetary Fund, IMF/World Bank outlook.
“20 years ago under former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s GDP, when he was finishing in 2007 was 268 billion, bigger than now.
“This disaster happened under the APC. When Goodluck Jonathan handed over power, Nigeria’s GDP had risen to 574 billion and we were the largest economy in Africa. Today we are fourth of fifth.
“What has happened in ten years of APC government to the economy is a disaster and tragic,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hashim-Olawepo, says it is a dubious narration to say it is the turn of the north or the south.
According to him, the next election should be about competence, not zoning.
“2027 election should be about who is more competent to grow the economy who can secure Nigeria, and who can unite Nigeria, not tribe, religion, ethnicity or region.
“And it’s a dubious narration to say that it’s the turn of South or North. In 1999, the only reason this conversation came up was because there was annulment of June 12, and it was felt by the political leaders that the PDP should seek a president from the South West that could help to heal that wound, and so President Obasanjo became the beneficiary of that national consensus,” he said.