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Presidential
aspirant, Atiku Abubakar yesterday criticised President Goodluck
Jonathan for being ashamed to defend the 2011 Budget proposal he
presented to the joint session of the National Assembly last month.

Mr Abubakar had, a
few days ago, written the president warning him that the proposal in
the budget could worsen the state of the nation’s economy. In a
statement by his campaign outfit, Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation
(ACO) in Abuja, the former vice president said the president has become
too ashamed to personally defend the budget, insisting that the budget
of a nation is too serious a matter to defend through anonymous person.

Mr Abubakar was
reacting to media reports that an anonymous presidency source had
questioned the rationale behind his widely-published critique of the
budget proposal.

“It is
inconceivable that a government that presented a budget that will
determine the lives of 150 million cannot rise in defence of such
budget,” Mr Abubakar said. “It is reprehensible that despite the army
of officials in government, there is no single volunteer who can take
the risk of being identified with the wishy-washy collection they call
the Budget 2011 proposal.

“A budget is a very
serious instrument that guides the conduct of government business. Its
formulation is supposed to be guided by the philosophy and the vision
of government. It is the appropriation of this vision with the
expectations and needs of the people that a budget is said to be
well-thought out.

“If the Budget 2011
proposal is well thought-out, everybody in government will not be too
ashamed to put a face to its defence.”

Faulting the budget

The presidential
aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) noted that the conduct
of government by anonymity is becoming the defining character of the
Jonathan administration.

“When the
presidency is accused of working on the 2011 elections with a rigging
manual, the initial response of government is through this now
notorious anonymous presidency sources,” Mr Abubakar said. “How can
anonymous source be the one defending government against serious
allegations of incompetence and malfeasance. Is it that no one is so
persuaded by the conduct of government that it can put his/her face in
its defence.” The former vice president restated his earlier position
that the Budget 2011 proposal, which guiding policy is predicated on
consumption is a recipe for economic disaster.

Jonathan campaign’s response

The spokesperson of
the Goodluck Sambo presidential campaign organisation, Sully Abu
however said it finds little to comment on in what Mr Abubakar said.

“As they stare
defeat in the face in what was once thought would be a contest, but
which is fast turning into a coronation for President Goodluck
Jonathan, the fretfulness of the Atiku Abubakar campaign is reaching
fever pitch,” Mr Abu said.

“Fresh from raising false alarms about their candidate being primed
for arrest following rather unguarded statements which predated the
recent acts of terrorism in Jos and Abuja about violent change, they
are now making a song and dance about being ignored over their comments
on the 2011 budget. Those comments follow a long litany of
prognostications on the economy which have been dismissed by economic
experts and by the facts on the ground. When the Atiku campaign has
something worthwhile to say that deserves a response, we would do so
and at a time of our own choosing.”