FG deceiving Nigerians on job creation, power –ACN

The Action Congress of Nigeria has accused the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan of deception, saying the administration has been overstating its achievements and making fake promises to Nigerians.

In a statement in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the ACN also slammed the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, for making himself a “purveyor of blatant lies and for having the temerity to denigrate the country’s opposition for daring to criticise a non-performing government.”

ACN said the government’s claim, through Okupe, that it will generate 780,000 jobs in 2013 through the Young Graduate Employment Scheme and 5,000 jobs in each of the 36 states through Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme marked the latest examples of the administration’s lies.

The ACN said, “Our advice to the teeming young graduates who have no jobs is that they should not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by this promise. They should remember that this same administration promised to create 10,000 jobs in each of the 36 states through SURE-P in 2012. The year is over, and all we have now are phantom jobs and more fake promises.’’

The party urged Nigerians to ensure that their generators were in good working condition, saying the government’s promise of stable electricity in 2013 was as unrealistic as it was deceitful.”

It added, “The administration said it has generated an all-time high 4,500 MW and will increase the number to 7,000 MW in 2013. What a celebration of tokenism! In the first instance, the government should be ashamed to tell Nigerians it has been able to generate only 4,500MW from a huge expenditure of $16bn!

The party also faulted the administration’s claim that the bombings and killings in the North decreased in 2012.

It said, “To set the record straight, 750 people have been killed in terror attacks in the North this year, a figure higher than about 570 who were killed in 2011, and not counting the latest killings in Borno and Adamawa states.”

But, the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party have faulted the ACN claims.

Okupe, said no blackmail and insult would deter the President from good governance.

He said, “The Goodluck Jonathan administration is a God-fearing administration and will not engage in falsehood to advance its level of performance and achievement. This administration will not engage in deceit as claimed by the ACN.

Also, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said rather than negatively criticise the Jonathan administration, the President should be commended for addressing the power crisis and managing the economy well.

Metu said, “President Jonathan should be commended for the manner he has successfully handled the economy of Nigeria and in particular addressing the power generation crisis in the country.”