Igbo women, represented by the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), have criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for failing to address hunger, insecurity, and political rascality in Nigeria.
Lolo Nneka Chimezie, the National President of IWA, spoke with Vanguard about the country’s high levels of hunger, insecurity, and political rascality, blaming Tinubu’s administration for failing to contain the threat.
She said, “Insecurity has become a monster in every region of the country. Nigerians are no longer secure. Even residents of Abuja, the seat of power, have come under increasing terror attacks. If Abuja is not safe, where else is safe in Nigeria?”
This comes as Bishop Sunday Onuoha, Co-chair of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum and a former Presidential Assistant on Privatisation, has listed hunger and insecurity as Nigerians’ greatest challenge under Tinubu’s leadership.
Similarly, Professor Sabastine Uremmadu of Banking and Finance at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) blamed Nigeria’s deteriorating economy on Tinubu’s elimination of gasoline subsidies without proper planning.
Professor Uremmadu also blamed Nigeria’s problems on Tinubu’s concern with taxes and his inability to put together the proper team to drive the economy.
Professor Uremmadu argued that every economy revolves around the cost of fuel and urged for the urgent return of fuel subsidies if the country was to overcome its current suffering.
Bishop Onuoha recommended the President to declare a state of emergency on hunger and insecurity if he would want to make substantial changes in the remaining two years of his administration.
“The level of hunger in the land and insecurity have made life hard for Nigerians. These two challenges must be addressed urgently”, the cleric said. IWA noted that Tinubu is not the author of Nigeria’s woes but said his administration’s lack of direction and vision accounted for its inability to navigate Nigeria out of the woods two years after being in the saddle.
The Igbo women’s union also blamed the poor results posted by Tinubu’s administration on the president’s failure to put square pegs in square holes, accusing him of making political appointments based on tribal and primordial sentiments other than competence.
“The country has not felt any better under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The reason is simple: they are not putting the right peg in the right hole. Appointments are not given based on competence and what one is capable of offering but based on tribal and primordial sentiments or friendship.
“That’s why it’s difficult to even say what will be done for Nigeria to become better because even the leaders know what should be done. But are they willing to do the needful?
“The way the APC government is structured right from 2015 till now will make it almost impossible for Nigeria to get better because the APC seems to have a hidden agenda. What they are doing is not the way to run a country. They don’t seem to have direction. There’s a lot of chaos, a lot of confusion and conflict of interests. That’s why it’s difficult to suggest what could be done because those who feel it could hurt their interest will block it.”
The Igbo women’s union further said that President Tinubu did not come prepared but only grabbed power on the basis of of:”it’s my turn mentality”, and his inability to make any meaningful progress two years down the line.
“Again, you cannot give what you don’t have. I don’t think President Tinubu has what it takes to run Nigeria. So long as the person at the helm of affairs does not have what it takes to drive change and good governance, I don’t think there’s anything anybody will say that can make any difference. The only thing I think Nigerians will do is to pray and endure till 2027.
“The only solution to Nigeria’s problem is a change of government. If we get a better hand that can take over the statecraft and navigate it in the right direction, Nigeria will become great again.
“When former President Muhammadu Buhari came on board, he made a lot of mistakes that it would be difficult for Tinubu to correct. The whole thing started right from Buhari’s administration. So, Tinubu was not expecting what he met on the ground, and that’s why he is unable to manage the situation.
“So, as long as he is unable to handle the situation, no advice to him may work because he also has a different mindset about governance. I don’t think he is bothered much about Nigeria. He seems to be more concerned about himself, his family, his Yoruba tribe and his friends. That’s not the right mentality if we must survive and thrive as a country.
“Tinubu’s government has no clear direction of where it’s going, let alone getting there. What they are doing is divide and rule, and that’s why the few who are favoured will continue to sing their praises against the growing public outcry due to hardship and high inflation.”
Professor Uremmadu said, “Nigeria is not better than it was two years ago. How can we be better with the removal of the fuel subsidy without any preparations? Right from May 29, 2023, when President Tinubu unilaterally removed the fuel subsidy, I knew life was not going to be easy again in this country.
“I knew Nigeria would suffer untold hardship, and it has been so ever since then. Inflation has kept skyrocketing and life increasingly unaffordable. This is so because whatever affects fuel price affects the entire economy.”
