* Tinubu
By Pathfinder Reporter
Friday May 30, 2025
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Criticism against the scorecard presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to mark the second year in office heightened as former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and other Coalition groups yesterday disagreed with his performance.
On May 29, President Tinubu reeled out his achievements in office in the last two years, saying he has not only improved security but also grown the economy, with the country’s external reserves rising by almost 500 percent from $4 billion in 2023 to over $23 billion by end of 2024.
The president, who celebrated his second year in office, also explained why his government removed fuel subsidies and devalued the naira.
The President’s performance, however, generated angry reactions from the former Vice President and some regional groups, who said the economic reforms reeled out continue to bite harder on Nigerians.
Tinubu’s govt has failed Nigerians—Atiku
Atiku assailed Tinubu, saying that his government in the last two years exhibited anti-democratic tendencies, economic mismanagement, and disregard for the welfare of Nigerians.
He emphasized that Tinubu’s economic reforms and actions have deepened poverty, worsened inequality, and undermined transparency, adding that the country risks becoming a ‘one-party state’ where power is abused and accountability is eroded.
Atiku said: “We reject any attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state where dissent is silenced and power is abused.
“We are building a strong, united opposition coalition, one that will challenge the excesses of this administration, restore accountability, and return government to the people.
“Policy after policy under this administration has targeted the poor while providing relief and advantage to the rich.
“From healthcare to education to identity management and basic public services, Nigerians are now faced with class-based systems where the wealthy enjoy VIP treatment, and the rest are left behind.”
The former VP, who criticized the administration’s handling of the economy, noted that Nigeria’s public debt has surged from N49 trillion in 2023 to N144 trillion in just two years, a 150% increase.
He said: “President Tinubu’s justification, that new borrowing is needed to fund the 2025 budget and soften the impact of fuel subsidy removal, is both weak and dishonest.
The Waziri Adamawa berated the removal of the petroleum subsidy by President Tinubu, saying, “It was the reckless and insensitive way his government removed the subsidy that created much of today’s economic hardship in the first place.
“Today, Nigeria is a nation where the rich get richer, and the poor are punished for trying to survive. This reality cannot and will not be ignored. We are here to rescue Nigeria, and we will not stop until that goal is achieved.”
He condemned Tinubu’s government debt plan to secure $24 billion in external and domestic loans, describing it as reckless, unsustainable, and a threat to Nigeria’s economic future.
He stated further: “This move comes while Nigeria’s debt burden is already at alarming levels. As of December 31, 2024, public debt stood at $94 billion (¦ 144.7 trillion). Since President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, public debt has jumped by 65.6%.
“This is not just unsustainable, it is immoral. The Tinubu administration is borrowing money not for development but to service existing loans, fueling a debt spiral that leaves nothing for infrastructure, education, healthcare, or jobs.
“Nigeria is now caught in a vicious cycle that mortgages the future to pay for the past.
“We demand that this reckless borrowing plan be halted immediately. Nigeria must not be sold into debt slavery.”
26 years of civil rule: No distinction between military, democracy — NNPP
Also, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in the South-West, Mr Olufemi Oguntoyinbo, yesterday, said that there is little distinction between military and democratic governance in practice.
The NNPP chieftain, in a statement, called on political officeholders to fulfill their responsibilities to the electorate.
NNPP, while congratulating Nigerians for achieving the longest period of democratic governance since independence, Mr Oguntoyinbo stated that with 26 years of continuous democracy, leaders should demonstrate and showcase the democratic process of governance.
He said: “It is disheartening that despite being elected, some leaders still operate as if under military rule, suppressing the will of the people.”
He urged government officials to respect democratic ethics and prioritize the interests of citizens in their governance.
He also tasked leaders at all levels to ensure public safety and uphold the tenets of democracy, as they work to deliver tangible benefits to the Nigerian populace.
Tinubu’s economic reforms biting harder —Afenifere
Also reacting, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization Afenifere has lamented that the impact of Tinubu’s economic reforms has continued to bite harder on Nigerians.
Afenifere’s National Organizing Secretary, Mr Kole Omololu, who spoke with Vanguard, said that food inflation, rising transportation costs, and escalating rent have strained the livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians.
Omololu said: “Afenifere urges stronger investment in low-cost housing, support for local manufacturers, and targeted subsidies to stabilize essential sectors.
“State governments must also fulfill their responsibilities and embrace cooperative federalism to complement federal economic.”
On security, he said: “Despite increased investment in security, the threats of terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping persist and appear increasingly sophisticated.
“Two years into his presidency, President Bola Tinubu has shown political will and administrative dexterity. Yet, much more is required to restore faith, renew hope, and rebuild the nation.
“The challenges of poverty, insecurity, corruption, and disunity are not insurmountable, but they demand truth and sacrifice.
“Afenifere urges the President to rise above partisan interests and transient victories to deliver enduring national transformation.
“The President must lead this process and truth must prevail over political expediency.”
INC flays Tinubu’s mid-term report
Picking holes in the President’s mid-term report, the Ijaw National Congress, INC, described as subjective the claim by President Tinubu that the country has fared better under his watch.
President of the INC, Prof Benjamin Okaba, who spoke with Vanguard in Yenagoa, insisted that many communities in the oil-rich Niger Delta have continued to face systemic neglect, underdevelopment, and environmental degradation.
Okaba said: “Regarding President Tinubu’s two years in office and the Presidency’s claim that Tinubu is making Nigeria a better place, is subjective. It is my maintained view rooted in all senses of objectivity and the lived realities of Ijaw people and, indeed, Nigerians.
“Though the presidency claimed to have made tangible efforts in areas such as infrastructural and economic policy thrusts, I want to emphasize that many communities, especially in the oil-rich Niger Delta, continue to face systemic neglect, underdevelopment, and environmental degradation. These are long-standing issues that remain unattended.
“Their claims must be measured against tangible improvement in security, equity, federal inclusiveness, and socio-economic well-being equity, federal for all Nigerians-not just TV screen claims.
“As of today, the World Bank and National Bureau for Statistics data say the opposite of the claims made by these politicians.
“We at the INC, therefore, urge Mr President and his government to deepen engagement with marginalized regions and take sincere, practical steps towards restructuring and justice if true national progress is to be achieved.”
First two years disastrous — MBF
Similarly, the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has described the first two years of the administration as a disaster saying Tinubu came into government without any laid-out plan to improve the country.
The National President of MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu insisted that President Tinubu has plunged Nigerians into unimaginable poverty and suffering.
Pogu said: “President Tinubu came into government without any plan. If he did, he wouldn’t have removed the fuel subsidy without having in place the CNG buses and vehicles he later brought in to mitigate the impact of the subsidy removal.
“How would a government remove subsidy before putting in place initiatives to mitigate the impact of the decision? When you put the cart before the horse, it is an economic disaster waiting to happen. And that is exactly what we are witnessing in the country presently.
“He also went ahead to devalue the Naira, thereby throwing Nigerians into more misery. To date, the impact of the decision is still being felt in the country. The suffering Nigerians are going through is unimaginable. Nigerians are hungry and cannot feed themselves. That is the level we have gotten to under his administration.
“He came to government and said he was continuing from where former President Muhammadu Buhari stopped and he is doing that.
“Buhari was the most nepotistic president Nigeria ever had. And true to President Tinubu’s promise he continued from where Buhari stopped by appointing mostly people of his tribe everywhere, like Buhari did.
“And in a bid to appease the North following the outcry that trailed his action, he created the Ministry of Livestock Development with plans now to start building RUGA which we will not allow in our communities. We will not give our land to RUGA. Painfully his government lacks merit and purposeful leadership.