Salary Increment: Tinubu Has Abandoned 99% Of Nigerians – Middle Belt Forum

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has said the N25,000 salary increase to workers was akin to abandoning 99 percent of Nigerians going through poverty and deprivation.

National President of the Forum, Dr. Bitrus Pogu while reacting to the independence speech by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday argued that the independence speech by President Tinubu was uninspiring and deceptive.

Pogu accused the APC led administration of worsening the socio-economic and security challenges in the country.

According to him: “I didn’t care to listen to the first October speech. Do you know why we have had several October 1st celebrations every year lots of things are said we kept going backward or stagnating.

” Before now someone asked. How did I see this celebration? I said what is it, we have retrogressed in so many ways. After we gained independence and Gowon came in after the coup that removed Ironsi, we went to civil war, and after the war one important statement was made by Gowon – no victor, no vanguished.

“But till today, some groups in Nigeria feel they are superior than others. Rather than move the country forward, they are busy pulling the country down. Today for no reason we have insurgency in this country.

“Why would Fulani militia be attacking people? Why would Boko Haram be there in Borno and the north east attacking innocent Nigerians. And then we had 8 years of Buhari instead of moving forward we retrogressed.

“The economy has gone down, everything has gone down and we are living from one falsehood to another falsehood. Today all of us are languishing because of ways and means of revamping the economy according to President Tinubu.

“He said he has increased the salaries of certain workers by N25,000. Civil servants don’t constitute up to one percent of the population of the country. What does that mean to the remaining 99 percent of Nigerians languishing because of this situation?

“I don’t blame him because he inherited this terrible situation. But it is his party, the APC that mismanaged the economy. They came in saying all manner of things you can think of about Jonathan. There is nothing in this APC government comparable to what is happening now.

“They promised to fix our refineries, where are we today? They promised heavens and earth and today Nigerians are practically going through the worst experience you can think of.

” I didn’t care to listen, I didn’t worry myself because unless we are serious as a nation, we started same time with the Brazilians, Singaporean and all that. Brazil is an industrialized and nuclear power today while we are making furnitures.”

• Yusuf Oketola