Nigeria’s presidential candidates have kept mum concerning Nigeria’s galloping inflation rate, which hit 17.71% for the month of May 2022. This is according to a recent report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The frontline presidential candidates have remained silent on the issue of inflation despite being at the forefront of most conversations relating to the state of the Nigerian economy.
A cursory look at the Twitter handles of Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Ahmed Tinubu, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Omoyele Sowore, revealed no comments concerning the record-high inflation recorded in May, as Nigeria continues to suffer significant blowback from the Russia-Ukraine war.
What they have been saying
On 13th June 2022, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar commented on the collapse of the national grid, which caused blackouts across most states in the South-east region.
His tweet reads: “The darkness that has enveloped the nation in the last couple of days with the collapse of the national grid is a metaphor for the collapsing state of our nation: collapsing unity, collapsing security, collapsing economy, collapsing education, collapsing well-being and collapsing value of human life and dignity.”
Meanwhile, Peter Obi, the flagbearer of the Labour Party tweeted that he was traveling to Egypt on a 3-day visit to study the country’s power, education, planning, and finance sectors. His tweets reads:
“I just departed for Egypt on a 3-day visit as part of my detailed study of comparable countries to Nigeria. In Egypt, I am expected to understudy, among others, the Egyptian Power Sector, Education, Planning and Finance Sectors.”
On the other hand, the presidential aspirant under the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore addressed the issue of education and sustained strike action by university lecturers, that has kept Nigerian students at home for over four months.
“For 123 days now Nigerian University teachers have been on strike, also Nigerian students in Colleges of Education have been thrown into the streets, their teachers too are on strike. The @MBuhari is enjoying the prolonged strike, students are suffering and parents are agonizing.
There are over 1.5 million students whose future is at stake, and no one seems to care. I lived through an era when the government was afraid of Nigerian students but today students are afraid of the govt, they’re scared to exercise their rights to have a future,” his tweet read.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential aspirant of the APC has not commented on any of the doldrums ravaging the Nigerian economy, which is only expected considering he is contesting under the political party, which could place him at loggerhead with the incumbent president.
Similarly with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of NNPP, as he is yet to comment on Nigeria’s rising inflation rate.
