By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Federal Government on Tuesday slammed the governors elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for comparing Nigeria’s economic hardship to that of Venezuela.

The government accused the PDP governors of mischievously and falsely comparing the nation’s current economic challenges to Venezuela.

This was contained in a statement by Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information & National Orientation.

The Federal Government’s reaction came as a response to the statement by the PDP governors calling on the APC-led federal government to rise to the occasion and address the worsening economic hardship in the country before it gets out of hand.

The governors had lamented that the current hardship being experienced by Nigerians was occasioned by the economic and security challenges being faced by the nation.

However, the Minister insisted that the nation’s economy is still very strong and meeting financial obligations to lenders at home and abroad.

He maintained that the Federal government was running effectively, and can pay all its bills while maintaining a healthy trade balance with trading partners worldwide.

“It is far-fetched when PDP governors, who are supposed to be major players in driving economic growth and prosperity for our citizens in their respective states, mischievously and falsely compare our current economic challenges to Venezuela.

“We want to state categorically that though our country is going through some rough patches, which are being addressed by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our situation is nowhere near what is happening in Venezuela.

“The Nigerian economy is still very strong and is expected to record a 3% GDP growth this year. The economy is meeting financial obligations to lenders at home and abroad,” part of the statement read.