A former Senator representing Kaduna Central District, Comrade Shehu Sani, on Saturday, said President Muhammadu Buhari would have protested if former President Goodluck Jonathan had piled up debts like the current administration.
Sani stated this while speaking during Daily Trust’s Twitter Spaces titled, ‘Insecurity and 2023 General Elections.’
Nigerians have been expressing concerns over rise in the country’s debt profile following the frequent borrowings by the Buhari-led administration.
The Buhari administration is reported to be Nigeria’s biggest borrower of all governments since 1999, raising the country’s public debt by more than 173 per cent.
Responding to Nigerians’ concern about the rising debt profile, the Buhari administration had said it was borrowing “sensibly” to provide necessary infrastructure for the citizens.
But while commenting on the situation, Senator Sani accused the Buhari administration of making frivolous borrowings.
According to the former Senator, “On economy, never at a time in the history of Nigeria, have we piled up so much debt. Borrowing from Islamic bank, IMF, World Bank, Brazil, European Union and China has almost become a routine.
“This National Assembly alone within two years approved $35 billion loans, and in 2020 and 2021, CBN used the opportunity of COVID-19 to secure over $6 billion in the name of fighting COVID-19 in Nigeria from the IMF.
“So you ask yourself, if Buhari was in the opposition and Jonathan was the one who piled up these debts, he could have been on the streets protesting about the debt.”