Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing its policy choices as poorly executed despite being well-intentioned.
Speaking on Monday at a panel session during the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Enugu, Ezekwesili stressed that defending the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government had become a difficult task due to its policy missteps.
“It is a tough job to have to defend the APC government. You can do the right policies but if you do it the wrong way, there will be a problem,” she said.
Ezekwesili pointed to the removal of fuel subsidy as an example, explaining that while the policy itself was necessary, it was handled without adequate preparation, causing severe inflation and hardship.
“The reform was not prepared for. It was a good reform done the wrong way. It is bad because inflation is punishing the populace. You really have to prepare for reform,” she said, adding that the President’s declaration of “Subsidy is gone” pushed millions of Nigerians into poverty.
“Inflation hits the poor so hard and they have nowhere to run to. It was a good reform done wrongly,” she emphasized.
Ezekwesili urged the judiciary and legal practitioners not to enable corruption or serve the interests of political elites at the expense of ordinary citizens.
“The idea that politics is the pathway to becoming wealthy is an anomaly,” she said. “Any profession that is rewarding this kind of pre-examined behavior cannot be a profession that cares about tomorrow.”
She lamented Nigeria’s poverty rate, warning that lawyers play a central role in shaping the rule of law:
“133 million Nigerians are in a state of poverty. The lawyers are determining the rule of law in Nigeria. There should be an evaluation of the political class. This country lies prostrate for the poor. I am praying the legal profession. Any profession that is rewarding prebendalism is not a profession,” she said.
Another panelist, George Etomi, also raised concerns over judicial independence. He argued that democratic governments have allowed interference in the judiciary compared to the military era.
“Our judiciary was more independent under the military. I don’t know what the new law is. They are abusing democracy today. We must protect the judiciary,” Etomi said.
Participants at the panel discussion echoed frustrations over current policies, with many expressing outright rejection of the government’s performance.
When asked if Nigeria was on the right track under Tinubu’s policies, the response was an overwhelming “no.” Similarly, when asked if their hopes had been renewed under the administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” the audience again replied with a resounding “no.”
