Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying its economic policies have made life better only for the rich, while worsening the plight of the masses.
Falana on Monday spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, expressing his concerns about the impact of the government’s policies on ordinary Nigerians.
He said that although some top officials within the All Progressives Congress (APC) celebrated Tinubu’s two years in office, but noted many Nigerians struggle to survive under excruciating economic conditions worsened by Tinubu’s policies.
”For members of the government and I’m talking of top officials, it’s been very rosy. One of them was singing a week ago that things are getting better.
“Of course, for the rich, the bourgeoisie, things are getting better. But for the masses of our people, things are getting tougher because they are going through an excruciating economic crisis,” Falana said.
Falana criticised the government’s economic reforms, such as the unification of forex windows and subsidy removal, which have driven up prices and worsened the economic crisis.
According to him, when he assumed office in May 2023, President Tinubu introduced economic reforms, such as the unification of the forex windows and subsidy removal, which drove up energy prices, transport fares, food costs, and overall expenses.
Despite these policies, Falana lamented that Nigerians were hungry, citing that Tinubu had repeatedly appealed to Nigerians for patience and promised that his economic reforms would eventually lead to national prosperity.
Falana urged the government to abandon economic prescriptions by international financial institutions and prioritise policies tailored to Nigeria’s socio-economic realities.
Falana criticised the government’s decision to devalue the naira, noting its devastating impact on the cost of living.
He called for Nigerians to be given the opportunity to run the country in their own interest, rather than following external prescriptions.
Falana challenged Nigerians to take a more active role in democratic accountability, monitoring budgets and ensuring their execution.
He also called on INEC to discourage premature political campaigns, stressing that governance should take precedence at this time.
