During the swearing-in of 22 Special Advisers and heads of government agencies at the Government House in Jos on Monday, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State blamed the current economic hardship being faced by Nigerians on the last administration led by Muhammadu Buhari. The governor alleged that Buhari supervised the printing and sharing of about N30 trillion, leaving the country’s economy in terrible shape for his successor, President Tinubu.
Mutfwang urged the new appointees to brace up for the challenge to enable his administration to reverse the ugly situation for the good of the people. He said, “We are at a very difficult juncture in the history of this country and I’m an advocate that after the election you forget politics and face governance.”
He further added, “And even though the Federal Government is being led by a party other than my own, I owe you the duty to tell Nigerians the truth that this government inherited a worse situation than 1999. This government inherited an economy where we simply printed money up to the tune of N30tn and shared. This government inherited an economy where the crude oil we’re yet to take out of the ground had been sold in advance.”
Mutfwang explained that the fall of the naira is a result of the country selling its future under the last administration. He stated that the country is lucky on the plateau that perhaps it has more food than many other states. However, he prayed that the time will not come on the Plateau that they will see riots for food. He emphasized the need to roll up sleeves and get to work and announced plans by his administration to set up a special agro-processing zone in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area in partnership with the African Development Bank to the tune of $300 million.
He called on the new appointees to work hard and help his administration overcome the challenges for the good of the people. He stated, “And to tell you that some of the appointees, I don’t know them, but because we want to get things done, we’re looking for the right people.”