As the presidency continues to roll out President Bola Tinubu’s milestone achievements as he marked his second-year anniversary last Thursday, pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has declared that the president has failed Nigerians woefully in his policies since his two-year old administration.
Afenifere, in a statement it issued on Sunday, lamented that President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope has turned into a nightmare for Nigerians.
National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba Socio-Political group, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, said the midterm report of the Tinubu administration has shown that every human development and sociopolitical index has regressed.
Afenifere, which described all the success claims of the Tinubu administration as false, accused it of engaging in “massive propaganda claiming false successes.”
But the presidency has wasted no time to counter the Afenifere’s position, insisting that the president’s reforms have created more opportunities for Nigerians in economic progression.
This position was held by the Presidential Media Team, which said that recent government policies under President Bola Tinubu have opened new economic opportunities for Nigerians and foreign investors, despite prevailing economic challenges.
Speaking at a media parley in Lagos on Sunday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, alongside the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, defended the administration’s economic direction, stating that tough decisions such as fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira were designed to encourage competition and unlock market potential.
“Everything is not all bad for the economy,” Onanuga told journalists. “Some Nigerians are actually doing well. People are taking advantage of the devalued currency to export agricultural products like cocoa, sorghum, and even Zobo (hibiscus). These exporters are making significant gains.”
But Afenifere in its statement, said: “The Midterm Report shows that every human development and sociopolitical index has regressed since the President Bola Tinubu administration, turning the promise of renewed hope to a nightmare of regressing hopelessness and despair.
“Rather than take full responsibility for the unmitigated sufferings inflicted on Nigerians in the past two years on account of its wrong policy choices and wasteful spending, the Tinubu administration has engaged in massive propaganda, claiming false successes and shifting blames to global and historical factors, and showing scant empathy for ordinary Nigerians.
“Basically, due to unforced errors, especially the oversight of the production element of subsidies and floating the Naira, without any preparation to cushion the predictable impact, the Tinubu Economic Reforms has turned out to be a nightmare for Nigerians.
“Despite the Tinubu administration’s economic policies causing huge inflation that cut real wages in over half, only 4.1% of the Nigeria population in the civil service had their wages increased by 38%. Reliance on unproven channels for the distribution of pitiable halfhearted food and other palliatives were corruptly split among those connected, while uncontested mega projects were brazenly given to those with well-known connections to the President. It is obvious that the Tinubu administration has no intention of delivering the greatest good to the greatest number of Nigerians.
“The Tinubu administration is de-structuring instead of restructuring the military imposed constitution, towards true federalism. It has shown increasingly centralizing tendencies to further weaken the federalist elements in the constitution by attacking federating units with the takeover of their administrative units, known as local governments.
“Tinubu is de-structuring the pillars of our democracy by neutralizing the legislature and judiciary put in place for balance of power and robust representative governance. It is obvious that the agenda is one-party state totalitarianism.
“In the last two years, we have witnessed a marked increase in intolerance of protests by dissenting civic groups. Peaceful protesters, students and labour groups are hounded, destabilized and bullied. In recent times, we have seen a gale of opposition politicians decamp to the ruling party to prevent institutional victimization.
“Even government sponsorship of internal conflicts in opposition parties and sociopolitical groups are open. Some recent appointments to the Independent National Electoral Commission are speculated to be card-carrying members of the ruling party. The emasculation of liberal democratic values is flagrantly displayed, without any shame or restraint.
“It has been a harrowing experience living through the pain and anguish of the last two years, inflicted on the nation by the administration of President Bola Tinubu. This Midterm Report is a duty that Afenifere must fulfil to prevent government propagandists from drowning the voices of millions of hungry and deprived Nigerians.
“Rather than focusing on service delivery, the Tinubu administration is focusing on winning the 2027 election regardless of the voters. No amount of propaganda will erase hunger and poverty in the land. Only selfless and empathetic leadership can serve the people, not Prebendaries and hedonistic lifestyle.”
But Onanuga and Dare explained that the high interest rate and inflation should be seen in the context of a larger economic shift. “There is a paradigm shift happening. We are moving to a market-driven economy.
Onanuga noted that the administration’s policies are based on globally accepted models such as the “willing buyer, willing seller” principle, particularly in the foreign exchange market.
“This is how economies function around the world. We’re just aligning with global standards,” he added.
The presidential media team also highlighted improvements in federal revenue distribution to states. “Sub-national governments are receiving more allocation than before, and many governors have confirmed this,” they said.
Responding to criticisms about fluctuating fuel prices, Onanuga said that market liberalization was working. “Prices are becoming competitive. Importers and marketers are adjusting. This is what happens when the market is allowed to play its role,” he stated.
Meanwhile, former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar has accused the Bola Tinubu administration of weaponising poverty in the country, describing the rising poverty in the country as deliberate.
Atiku made the allegation when he spoke during a public lecture to mark the 60th birthday of former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, at the weekend.
Atiku explained that “growing up in the north, the most prosperous city or state was Kano. As soon as I finished secondary school, my first location was Kano State. I never saw people sleeping outside, then. There were no bridges or flyovers.
“I never saw people sleeping outside or outside the shops in Kano State, but recently, I saw that people were all over the state sleeping under the bridge or on the streets.
“These people are driven out by poverty and insecurity. There is a state agency in Kano responsible for providing support to such people and they started doing their work and enlightening people and removing people from under the bridges and outside on the streets.
“What happened? They were called to Abuja and they were told to stop it. That is why I said I wanted to amend the topic of today to add state weaponisation of poverty,” he stated.
Atiku further said, “This particular government is weaponising poverty. You may call me a conspirator, you may call me anything, and that is why we are in this alliance to make sure we don’t allow them to continue weaponising poverty. Of course, one of our star conspirators is Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
“So, here we (Amaechi and I) are back together because Nigeria is in its biggest trouble since 1914. We are together working, conspiring to build a coalition to take Nigeria back on track because it is off track,” he said.
He further explained: “I don’t think so. Poverty weaponises itself if allowed to exist. That is what has happened in Nigeria. I don’t think politicians are that smart to even sit and weaponise poverty.
“For me, having been in private sector and public service and having been a keen observer of our political deterioration, I believe that the problem that we have, which I think Governor Babangida referred to, is that we just get incompetent people and we hand over leadership to them.
“They don’t know what to do. Most of them don’t really know what to do. They just know how to grab power but don’t know what to do with it.”