Former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, has attributed many of Nigeria’s political and economic challenges to what he described as the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) “culture of impunity and trust deficit.”
Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Friday, Okechukwu also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive steps to ease the economic burden on Nigerians, including reducing fuel prices and seeking international borrowing for targeted reforms.
Okechukwu addressed the lingering debate over whether the All Progressives Congress (APC) adequately probed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during its tenure in power.
Responding to the question, Okechukwu firmly stated, “I stand by my story. The PDP took the swipe on APC. The PDP’s culture of impunity and trust deficit affected the Nigerian political culture and affected us in the APC. Our progressive tendency was diluted.”
He further elaborated, highlighting the internal challenges faced by the PDP that led to its downfall. “PDP was just a casualty, which was because of their culture of impunity that they breached its rotation convention from president from north to south,” he said.
Okechukwu also emphasised the difficulty in restoring a political culture that has been compromised. “When the political culture is contaminated or diluted, it takes a lot of headache, a lot of effort to reverse,” he remarked.
Switching focus to the economy, Okechukwu criticised the handling of fuel prices and its impact on citizens.
He explained, “A barrel of oil that sells for $70 contains not only PMS when it’s refined; it contains others like diesel and others. Reduce the pump price so that the food crises in the country can ease, so that the people would breathe.
“It’s a simple matter to do, even if the federal government loses money. You are still borrowing and overtaxing people. How do we grow? How do we breathe?”
Offering a potential solution, Okechukwu suggested bold steps for economic relief. “If I’m President Tinubu, I would go ahead to borrow from the international community and leave my people to have space. I know what to borrow for,” he said.
Boluwatife Enome
Follow us on:
