- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday came under under fire as the Oba Oladipo Olaitan-led faction of the Afenifere group faulted his administration.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation held that the President’s economic reforms had deformed Nigerians within his first two years in office.
The group accused Tinubu of claiming false successes, stressing that No amount of propaganda will erase the hunger and poverty in the land.
“Rather than take full responsibility for the unmitigated suffering inflicted on Nigerians in the past two years due to its wrong policy choices and wasteful spending, the Tinubu administration has engaged in massive propaganda, claiming false successes, shifting blame to global and historical factors, and showing scant empathy for ordinary Nigerians.” It said.
Afenifere recalled the President’s subsidy removal and Naira floating policy which, according to them, deformed the country’s economy.
“Basically, due to unforced errors—especially the oversight of the production element of subsidy removal and the floating of the naira without any preparation to cushion the predictable impact—the Tinubu economic reforms have turned out to be Tinubu economic deforms,” the statement read.
Citing data from the National Economic Summit Group (NESG), Afenifere held that over seven million businesses have shut down since 2023, with a “horrific increase in poverty” and a drop in Gross Domestic Product per capita from $3,222.7 in 2014 to about $806 in 2025.
The group also faulted the rise in public debt which, according to it, has grown by over N100tn in just two years.
Also mentioned was the worsening housing crisis.
“About 30 million Nigerians are without a roof over their heads, while 108 million live in substandard housing, according to Development Aid statistics.
“The Tinubu administration budgeted for the provision of a mere 20,000 houses in 2025, despite our population increase being over six million people (nearly 20,000 a day) in 2025. At 20,000 homes a year, it would take a thousand years for everyone to have a roof over their head.” Afenifere said.
The group also noted that the government’s failure to implement the Steve Oronsaye report, which recommended trimming down the cost of governance, was further proof of its excesses.
“The tone of government at all levels is one of a profligate jaiye jaiye lifestyle, while the masses are being berated about Nigeria’s wasteful past and the imperative of sacrifice to restore fiscal integrity.
“The government’s first supplementary budget and subsequent budgets were spent not only on preserving but also on increasing the luxurious lifestyle of those in government—new presidential jet, Cadillac limousines, N160m cars for each federal legislator, and scandalous increases in unaccounted constituency projects worth billions to each legislator,” the statement read.
The group also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party of sponsoring crises in opposition parties to ensure a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general election.
“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, destabilised and bullied. In recent times, we have seen a gale of opposition politicians decamp to the ruling party to prevent institutional victimisation.
“Even government sponsorship of internal conflicts in opposition parties and sociopolitical groups is now done in the 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 now flagrantly displayed, without any shame or restraint,” it said.
Other issues raised was the worsening state of insecurity across the country as it harped on the need for restructuring and the establishment of state police to address Nigeria’s security challenges.
“The Tinubu administration is trading off the lives of Nigerians by refusing to devolve power for the creation of state police. Across Nigeria, there is a resurgence in the activities of bandits, kidnappers and insurgents.
“According to Amnesty International, over 10,000 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 villages destroyed in the two years of Tinubu’s presidency, while two new terrorist groups have emerged. The failure to treat this as an emergency and devolve powers to enable states to create their police forces places the responsibility, if not culpability, for all lives lost since 2023 at the feet of the President.” The statement read further.