Tinubu Encouraged Buhari to Print N22.7trn in 2020 – Atiku’s Aide Blasts Finance Minister

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Tinubu Encouraged Buhari to Print N22.7trn in 2020 – Atiku’s Aide Blasts Finance Minister

President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun have been slammed by the spokesman of Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Paul Ibe.

He slammed Edun for blaming former President Muhammadu Buhari of being responsible for Nigeria's current inflation and hardship.

Ibe said the reason is because Tinubu once encouraged former President Muhammadu Buhari to print naira in 2020.

Ibe made the disclosure while criticizing the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, over his comment on the printing of N22.7 trillion under Buhari’s administration.

Edun had said the printing of N22.7 trillion by the Central Bank of Nigeria in the name of a Ways and Means loan under Buhari’s government and ex-CBN governor Godwin Emefiele was responsible for the current rising inflation and economic hardship in Nigeria.

Speaking during an interface with the Senate Committee on Finance, the minister said the Ways and Means of loans of N22.7 trillion under the past administration was done aimlessly.

He further stated that the alleged reckless spending of the overdraft collected from the CBN under Emefiele largely accounted for the country’s food and security crises.

He vowed that Tinubu’s government would audit the CBN printing in the last eight years.

Reacting, Ibe faulted the minister’s remark stressing that Tinubu encouraged Buhari to toll such an irresponsible path in 2020.

Posting on Facebook, Ibe wrote: “Why is Wale Edun, who is more like oku eko (frozen fish) in this administration, bleating like a goat over the issue of Buhari’s printing of Naira? It was Bola Tinubu, as National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, who in 2020, encouraged Buhari on this irresponsible path of printing currency not matched with productivity.”