Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has faulted the assessment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration by Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Recall that in an open letter to Tinubu on Thursday, Momodu said Nigeria is in big trouble, adding that the country’s economy has virtually collapsed.
Momodu had asked Tinubu to stop the “reckless propensity for wasting scarce resources,” and that funds should be used for “serious development”.
“Purchasing presidential jets, building outlandish monuments, distributing cash as palliatives, etc. are signs of a failed and careless government.
“If you can curb the excessive spending of your government, you will free up a lot of resources for serious development,” the PDP chieftain had said
Reacting however, Omokri, a socio-political commentator, who highlighted facts and figures, said the PDP chieftain “focused more on assumptions” in asserting that the country’s economy is collapsing.
“I read your open letter to President Bola Tinubu, in which you said, ‘Our economy has virtually collapsed’, among other things.
“Respectfully, the facts do not support your assertions, and in your open letter, you did not provide any facts. Only opinions. So, please let me present some facts that contradict your opinions.
“Firstly, only yesterday, the International Monetary Fund projected that due to the reforms being undertaken by the current administration, Nigeria will have a 3.1% GDP growth rate in 2024.
“This is one of the best projections for an African country in 2024, and does not signal an economy that has ‘virtually collapsed.’
“Secondly, Nigeria had a record high of ₦6.52 trillion trade surplus in the first quarter of 2024. This has never happened before, he wrote via X on Friday.
Supporting Omokri’s comments, Doyin Okupe, former director general of the Peter Obi 2023 Presidential Campaign Organisation, said Momodu “confused the prevailing hardship” in the country with “economic health and viability.”
Okupe said the positive growth indices highlighted by Omokri are indications of “imminent recovery” of the Nigerian economy.
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The publisher of Ovation Magazine, he said, did not state the facts of the matter in his assessment of Tinubu’s administration.
The former presidential aide said Momodu’s comment that he has praised every President from 1999 till date is not factual.
Responding to Okupe, Momodu said Nigerians have never had it so bad as it relates to the economic situation of the country.
The PDP chieftain wondered why Tinubu suddenly became the “idol” of Okupe and Omokri despite the “reckless spending” by his administration.
While warning Omokri against blind support, he urged him to say the honest truth to prevent Nigeria’s worsening crisis.
In the rejoinder titled “Re: Urgent Message For President Tinubu,” Momodu schooled Omokri on the differences between economic and economy.
In response, Omokri tackled Momodu, alleging that his magazine had published over 50 articles praising Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state.
He wrote: “My egbon Dele Momodu has written over fifty publications praising Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun. And I do not begrudge him that. But is he saying the situation in Osun is better than the situation at the centre?”
Reacting, the celebrity journalist said: “RENO. I challenge you to quote the 50 times I praised GOVERNOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE. You’re desperately looking for justification for your TINUBU project. Awaiting your list MR TABLESHAKER…”
Not happy with the response, Omokri fired back, saying “Haba, egbon! Please go through your Instagram posts. Your social media is virtually a shrine to Governor Adeleke. It is beneath you to deny it. This is a notorious fact! Please, egbon, I make this an open challenge.
“If you have not used your social media profiles to praise Governor Adeleke at least fifty times, then take me to court! I will meet you there with documents. I am nothing if not a meticulous record keeper!”
Momodu then asked if Omokri was too lazy “to see quotation marks on my posts of press releases like I do with others.”
“I challenge you to post the 50 praises or keep quiet…,” he wrote.
Omokri replied saying: “Thank you for your feedback, sir. It is not that I am too lazy. How can anybody look at me and accuse me of laziness? I am slim, fit and very active in the boardroom, bedroom and newsroom. When you see a lazy person, you can tell by their body.”
