Professor Usman Yusuf, the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had failed Nigerians.
In an interview with Arise TV, Yusuf backed his claims by citing the economic hardship and security challenges which have continued to worsen since the beginning of the administration.
He argued that the government failed in its constitutional responsibility to secure Nigerians and ensure their welfare.
On the economy: Yusuf noted that the country is essentially broke. According to him, we inherited a debt of N7.8 trillion in 2014 meanwhile, this administration is leaving the government indebted to the tune of over N77 trillion.
Speaking about recent happenings at the office of the CBN, he said, “Nigeria is broke and here we are with this comedy and confusion with the CBN. In sane climes, what is happening with the CBN and CBN governor will crash the economy and the Naira. You ask yourself who is in charge here.
The economy is in a mess. You need a steady hand, you need somebody who’s been there, who has done it before and that in my opinion is Atiku Abubakar. He answered all the questions put to him by all the eminent economists yesterday.”
Increased insecurity: Yusuf noted that ever since the Buhari administration took over power, they have been singing the same song, promising to take a hundred million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years – that is every year they would take out 10 million people.
- “The president has inserted these in several of his speeches; the vice president will be reading it over the teleprompter but they have just been talking. They have failed as far as the economy is concerned.
- “For me this is real, I go back to Katsina where I come from and I see poverty. In many villages, if you take out a thousand naira, go to the village square and ask for change, nobody can give you change. Our people are poorer today than they were before the APC government came in. Anybody associated with APC cannot absorb himself.”
Coincidentally, Yusuf and the President are from the state of Katsina. Unfortunately, the state has virtually been overtaken by criminals. Yusuf noted that of the 34 local governments in the state, 13 are under siege.
- “We have never seen IDPs before this government came in, today, my city, is filled up with IDPs. We gave Buhari 1.2 million votes in 2019, and Lagos gave him half of that. What we have to show for that are death and destruction.
- “Our villages have been plagued, women raped, cattle rustled and our people killed. And this is the story not only in Katsina. From Adamawa to Zamfara, we are still counting our dead every day. This is security. We are talking about farming and agriculture. Our people cannot go to the farm because of insecurity, bandit is occupying their land. Even if they go to the land, they have to pay levies. In some places in Zamfara, they burn farm products.
- “The primary responsibility; constitutional responsibility of government; section 14 subsection 2b is to provide security on the welfare of the people. On that count, this government has failed.”
