Atiku Blasts Tinubu: Labels $800 Million 'Palliatives' Plan a Ploy to Divert Public Funds - The Trent

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Special Assistant on Public Communications to Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has criticized President Bola Tinubu's proposed $800 million plan to distribute N8,000 monthly to 12 million households for six months, labelling it as a "brazen attempt to divert public funds."

In a public statement on Thursday, July 13, 2023, Shaibu compared President Tinubu's strategy to the cash transfer and COVID-19 intervention program of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

He argued that these initiatives resulted in hoarding of resources by politicians, leaving the poor even more destitute.

"Buhari's interventionist programs only ended up making Nigerians poorer," Shaibu asserted, referencing reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

He added, "This is a continuation of the scam of the All Progressives Congress."

Shaibu particularly highlighted the inadequacy of the planned stipend, citing that an average Nigerian household comprises 5.06 members.

"With Tinubu's uninspiring plan, each individual in a household will get N1,600 per month or N53 per day. What should they do with it?"

Labelling Tinubu an "economic illiterate", Shaibu emphasized the president's lack of a coherent economic policy besides taxing Nigerians.

He claimed that Tinubu falsely promised to replicate Lagos State's economy on a national scale, despite the majority of Lagos' revenue originating from longstanding private companies.

"His only plan is to tax Nigerians to death as he did in Lagos," Shaibu stated.

The Special Assistant also took issue with Tinubu's apparent neglect of the agricultural sector, which comprises about 30% of Nigeria's GDP.

"He should have invested funds in the production aspect of agriculture and other issues affecting crop yields," Shaibu contended.

He further expressed concern that the planned cash handout might be an attempt to buy votes, drawing parallels with the previous government's controversial 'Trader Moni' initiative, in which over N20 billion was allegedly lost to corruption and fraud.

"Let no one make any mistakes about it, the planned palliative is Trader Moni 2.0," Shaibu declared, accusing the All Progressives Congress of using public funds for political campaigns.

Shaibu ended his statement with a call for accountability, urging the government to stop deceiving Nigerians and instead focus on more sustainable and effective economic strategies.