The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, on Thursday criticised the Federal Government’s economic policies, arguing they are causing severe hardship for Nigerians.
He made these remarks during a meeting of the National Reconciliation Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with North-East governors and other key stakeholders in Bauchi. In attendance were the Governors of Bauchi and Taraba, as well as the acting PDP National Chairman.
Expressing deep concern over the country’s economic situation, Fintiri stated: “Nigeria is bleeding, we are suffering, there is too much anger, and the economic policy is not working. That is why we always call on the Federal Government to reconsider some of these economic policies that are only putting hardship on Nigerians.”
He further stressed that holding public office is a privilege granted by God and should be exercised with trust and responsibility.
The governor urged the Federal Government to prioritise policies that ease, rather than worsen, citizens’ struggles. He added: “Whatever will make us cry must not be part of your policy because the country belongs to us. It does not belong to the World Bank, IMF, or the international community.”
On party unity, Fintiri reaffirmed that the three North-East PDP governors would work together to strengthen the party in the region.
He also underscored the significance of regional unity, which he believes contributed to the PDP’s success in all North-East states during the last presidential election.
“There is no state in the zone that PDP lost. Even the one we lost in Borno, up until now, we are still wondering how we lost that election because we know we did not lose that election in Borno,” he said.
During the meeting, the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, acknowledged the internal divisions that contributed to the party’s losses in the last election.
He emphasised the committee’s commitment to resolving these issues, stating: “We are here to interact with our leadership and membership of our great party so that we can discuss where we are falling short of what we were supposed to do, which led to the outcome we witnessed.”