Response to this article:http://saharareporters.com/article/fraud-nigerian-bureau-statistics-and-2015-joe-igbokwe

JOE IGBOKWE, WITH DUE RESPECT, PLEASE SHUT UP, SIR!

I may accept the fact that Nigeria currently has a rather unsatisfactory ruling party and central government; BUT it’s becoming clear that we have an even shoddier opposition conglomerate.

Nigeria released her new GDP figures a few days back and the result surpassed all projections pushing Nigeria forward as Africa's largest economy. Of course these figures did not show any tangible positive change to the lives of ordinary Nigerians as South Africa retains a higher GDP per capita and more sophisticated economy.

Even President Goodluck Jonathan on his ‘goodwill message’ about Nigeria's new status admitted that these new GDP figures are meaningless until it starts to touch the lives of the Nigerian masses in a positive way.

I just read the submissions of an All Progressive Congress (APC) spokesman-Joe Igbokwe, who summarily dismissed Nigeria's new GDP status as a fraud, and made frantic efforts to tell the world(what we already know) that South Africa still has a more diverse/developed economy.

BUT, the question is, where lies patriotism? Does being a member of Nigeria’s opposition party mean becoming Anti-Nigeria, Anti-establishment and Anti-Common sense?

The whole world rejoiced with Nigeria over the weekend on this GDP rebasing news, many Nigerians applauded it; Nigerians that are in their right senses know that if Nigeria's new status as Africa's largest economy is managed well, it could lead to more investments into the country-which will lead to the creation of more jobs that will ultimately benefit the Nigerian masses.

One would have expected the All Progressives Congress and its handlers to take advantage of this development and begin to tell Nigerians how the party will build on this new GDP information and ensure that the Nigerian economy is further diversified leading to growth in per capita GDP, if voted into office.

Unfortunately, when the APC (again, a national party) through one of its semi-leading figures decide to make a mockery out of Nigeria's GDP rebasing exercise, term it as fraudulent and contest figures that have already been endorsed by credible international agencies such as IMF,World Bank and ADB,then we clearly don’t have an opposition national party in Nigeria. At best we can term them as Nigeria's chronic enemies from within.

I sincerely hope and pray that Joe Igbokwe’s position is a personal opinion and not the official stance of the All Progressives People Congress.

-STANLEY NWABIA