Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has described President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Brazil as a waste of scarce resources, saying the difference between both countries is leadership.
In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja at the weekend, the SDP chieftain blamed President Tinubu for travelling to Brazil in search of what is “contained in the manifesto of the SDP.”
He, however, expressed hope that the visit would assist the President to understand how his economic policies are, adding that the President’s visit was “the equivalent of Saul becoming Paul, because what Brazil has which Nigeria doesn’t have is good leadership.”
Speaking on the Brazil Economy, Adebayo said, “What they have is a poverty reduction manifesto and set of programmes and policies. If you look at the Bolsa Familia, which reduced poverty by 27 percent in Brazil in four years under President Lula da Silva’s government, it is the opposite of ‘subsidy is gone’ that increased poverty exponentially in Nigeria.
“If you look at the way Petrobras is run compared to the way President Tinubu has been running the NNPC, they are polar opposites. So, the economic policy of President Tinubu is opposite the one that has succeeded in Brazil.
“So, I’m happy that he’s there because by going there; he will see how wrongheaded his own policies are.
“On the other hand, I am not happy that he went there to spend all that money. He could have spoken to me. He could have looked at the Social Democratic Party’s manifesto. He used to be a member of the SDP in good old days.
“So, why are you leaving the Brazilian type of manifesto which is available in Nigeria and then you are going to Brazil as a tourist to be in awe of the majesty of Brazil and the Brazilian economy as if it is by magic? It is by policy,” he stated.
