Featured, Politics
With less than eight months to the 2027 presidential and general elections in the country, some eminent Nigerians are now adding their voices to the bickering of millions of Nigerians over worsening insecurity, harsh economic conditions, poor state of electricity supply among others.
By Goddy Ikeh
UNLIKE many eminent Nigerians and Church leaders who for reasons best known to them, have remained silent in the face of worsening insecurity and killings by bandits across the country, former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, declared in a recent interview that any government that fails to secure lives and property loses legitimacy, blaming the leadership for Nigeria’s insecurity and poor governance issues in the country.
Speaking on Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and the leadership challenges confronting the country, Obasanjo blamed Nigeria’s deepening challenges on poor leadership, warning that the country has lost its influence in international affairs and has mishandled key regional relationships, particularly within the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.
Obasanjo told News Central’s Soni Irabor Live, SIL, that Nigeria was no longer “at the table” of global decision-making, stating that the country’s inability to shape events beyond its borders reflects a broader leadership deficit.
On the pervasive insecurity in Nigeria, Obasanjo maintained that the citizens should not accept kidnapping and other social vices as the norm, recalling how Nigerians could travel across the country in the past without fear of being kidnapped.
Delivering a scathing assessment of the federal government’s performance, Obasanjo stated that any administration that fails to guarantee the safety of life and property has effectively forfeited its right to exist.
Obasanjo traced the roots of worsening security situation to the aftermath of the Nigerian civil war, when arms proliferation was not properly controlled, adding that the problem had since escalated due to poor governance and neglect.
He also linked the crisis to external and internal factors, including the return of armed mercenaries, following the fall of Libya’s former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, as well as the use of armed groups for political purposes.
Obasanjo warned that the growing number of out-of-school children, estimated at about 20 million, posed a long-term security risk, describing it as a ready pool for future recruitment into extremist groups.
The former president expressed pessimism about Nigeria’s current direction, stating bluntly, when asked about the country’s prospects under the present leadership, that he “sees nothing”. He stated that the erosion of democratic values, including what he described as the substitution of a “selectorate” for a true electorate, had weakened accountability and governance.
Obasanjo specifically criticised the handling of relations with neighbouring Niger Republic by the federal government, following the recent coup in that country, describing the response as ill-conceived and damaging to decades of regional cooperation painstakingly built over 50 years.
He said Nigeria’s actions, including border closures, cutting electricity supply and financial restrictions, undermined long-standing historical, economic and cultural ties between the two countries.
He explained that while it did not cost much for Nigeria to maintain influence, it required clarity of thought and strategic engagement, which he believed were presently lacking.
As chairman of ECOWAS, Tinubu was believed to have adopted a hardline stance after the Niger Republic coup, pushing sanctions, border closures and even threatening military intervention to restore constitutional order.
According to Obasanjo, the situation was poorly handled and it damaged long-standing ties with Niger, weakening regional cohesion rather than strengthening the Authority of ECOWAS.
Speaking on the oil sector and the economy, Obasanjo reiterated his long-held position that government-owned refineries under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, would not function efficiently. He cited structural inefficiencies, poor maintenance, corruption and lack of scale as key reasons for their persistent underperformance.
Obasanjo stated that the federal government had since spent billions of dollars, as much as $16 billion, on the refineries, with little to show, contrasting this with the success of privately driven ventures, such as the Nigeria LNG project, which he cited as evidence that public-private partnerships were more effective.
“See what we are doing now even with the NNPCL. The NNPC has refineries. And I said to people that it will never work,” he maintained.
On the country’s political structure, Obasanjo warned against the emergence of a one-party state, saying it will be detrimental to the country’s development and democratic health. While acknowledging assurances from the president that he was not interested in a one-party state, he maintained that such a system will not serve Nigeria’s interest.
Obasanjo explained, “He (Tinubu) said he would not want to see a one-party state in Nigeria. He said that. And, as I said, I will for once want to take his word for it. It will be a pity. Because it will not even serve its own purpose.”
In spite of his criticisms, Obasanjo expressed a strong belief that Nigeria could still recover, attributing this to what he described as the country’s potential and the resilience of its people.
He, however, added that meaningful progress will depend on a fundamental shift in leadership quality and governance approach.
For the former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, he warns that ‘Conversion Crisis’ undermines Nigeria’s Democracy and weakens civic participation.
Speaking on the state of Nigeria’s democracy, the former minister declared that “the nation is trapped” not by voter apathy, but by what he described as a “conversion crisis” that continues to erode meaningful civic participation.
Delivering the 2nd Distinguished Personality Lecture at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Chidoka argued that while millions of Nigerians intend to vote, systemic barriers discourage them from following through, turning civic engagement into what he called an “expensive burden.”
According to him, 68 million out of 93.4 million registered voters failed to vote in the 2023 presidential election, with turnout plunging to 26.7 per cent — a sharp decline from 53.7 per cent in 2011. He explained that the issue lies not in public disinterest, but in the structural inefficiencies and uncertainties surrounding the electoral process.
In his contribution, a political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, called on the opposition parties to rescue Nigeria from what he described as “ponzi economics” of the current administration led by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Utomi said that the opposition parties should confront current economic policies and pursue production-driven growth to reduce poverty and inequality.
Speaking at the opposition parties’ summit in Ibadan, Utomi described Nigeria’s current economic condition as a “moral outrage.”
He urged opposition political actors to chart a new course anchored on production, discipline, and inclusive growth.
Speaking on the theme: “Rebuilding a Productive, Dynamic and Efficient Economy for Nigeria,” Utomi painted a stark picture of widening inequality and hardship.
He cited a recent PiggyVest report indicating that 58 per cent of Nigerians earned less than ₦100,000 monthly, contrasting this with what he called the excesses of the political elite.
“Our current economic reality is a moral outrage. While many survive on remittances, some celebrate ‘Tinubunomics’ and ask suffering Nigerians to wait in hope.”
He accused the federal government of “profligate spending, reckless borrowing and treasury looting,” warning that such practices had deepened poverty and inequality.
Citing World Bank data, he noted that nearly 130 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty, questioning the absence of widespread civic resistance.
Utomi lamented that the country had drifted into unsustainable economic management.
In the same vein, an economist and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, CPPE, Muda Yusuf, warns that increasing tax pressure on investors could slow business growth, weaken job creation, and undermine economic expansion prospects.
Yusuf told ARISE News in an interview that concerns about the federal government’s tax direction are understandable, particularly given what he described as a policy leaning towards revenue generation.
“Well, I think those fears can be justified to some extent. Because there is a tendency to feel that given the disposition of the president himself, the president who has some bias for aggressive taxation, then, yes, then doing that, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele too, essentially a tax person.”
Despite these concerns, Yusuf said that the government had repeatedly assured that its tax reforms would not target vulnerable segments or stifle investment.
“But if you have listened to conversations around issues of the fiscal operations of government, even at the time when we started this tax reform, there was a recurring message from the presidency, which was that they were not going to tax investments, they were not going to tax poverty, and they were going to tax prosperity.”
He, however, cautioned that an excessive focus on revenue targets could have unintended consequences for the broader economy.
“And when there is too much of that fixation, it hurts development. And sometimes it hurts welfare.”
Yusuf stressed that increased tax pressure on investors could directly affect business expansion and employment generation.
“Because if there is too much pressure on investors, it will be difficult for them to grow their business, to create jobs.”
He further warned that the dominance of tax and financial considerations in policymaking could overshadow critical economic and social priorities.
“So the tendency is that when you have too many accountants or tax people in government, there is a tendency that there will be dominance of the financial objectives, sometimes to the detriment of the social objectives, investment objectives, or growth objectives.”
On the broader question of economic priorities, he emphasised the need for greater investment in mass transit systems to reduce reliance on private vehicles.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Organized Labour in the country, including the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero and his Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Festus Osifo, have lamented the worsening economic and political challenges in Nigeria and threatened mass action if conditions do not improve.
In a joint address at the 2026 May Day celebration held at Eagle Square, Abuja, the leaders of the labour unions described Nigeria as a nation where “poverty tightens its grip daily,” institutions are weakening, and citizens are increasingly left to fend for themselves in the face of violence and economic hardship.
The labour leaders reminded the nation of the central role workers play in sustaining the economy, contrasting it sharply with their current condition.
“Workers remain at the very heart of every industry, every economy, and every success story known to humanity. Without workers, no wheel can turn; without workers, no nation can be built.”
Yet, they lamented, those same workers “create immense wealth yet receive only a fraction of it,” enduring exploitation while “poverty tightens its grip around them.”
According to the Labour leaders, the macroeconomic indicators have become disconnected from reality.
“We are told that GDP growth may reach about 3.6%… yet poverty continues to rise. We hear official inflation figures… but these numbers do not reflect the reality experienced daily by workers,” they said.
The NLC and TUC argued that Nigeria’s economic model has produced a distorted outcome, saying “Paper growth without jobs, stability without prosperity, and reform without relief.”
They insisted that the benefits of economic policies are being captured by a narrow elite, noting that “An economy that serves only the top 1% while leaving the 99% behind cannot be sustainable. Perhaps, it is working for the ultra-few 1% and not the 99% majority.”
Labour painted a bleak picture of living conditions across the country, citing data that shows poverty now affects about 65% of Nigerians — roughly 150 million people.
“Approximately 10,000 people are pushed into poverty every day,” they said, warning that deprivation has reached “alarming levels.”
Against this backdrop, labour announced that negotiations for a new national minimum wage will begin in July 2026.
“We will commence the process early to avoid the painful delays of the past,” they said.
But beyond future negotiations, the unions demanded immediate intervention:
“We demand that from July of this year, every worker be paid 100% of his basic salary… to cushion the effects of the renewed crisis of survival. We demand a living wage, not a minimum wage.”
On insecurity, labour delivered perhaps its most alarming assessment, declaring that Nigeria is effectively in a state of war.
“The scale of violence, the frequency of attacks, and the mounting loss of lives… place Nigeria among the most dangerous places to live on earth,” they said.
Rejecting the characterization of attacks as isolated incidents, they insisted: “It is not. It is a war against our people.”
They cited killings, bombings, and abductions across multiple states, noting that thousands have died and millions displaced.
“People are no longer safe in their homes, on the roads, or even in their workplaces. Daily life has become a gamble with fate,” they lamented.
However, in his address to the workers, President Bola Tinubu admitted that insecurity and poverty constituted “significant obstacles” but insisted that his administration was tackling both with urgency.
He referenced the launch of the Community Protection Guards Initiative, where over 45,000 young Nigerians were recruited to secure communities as one of the measures to address insecurity.
President Tinubu , who was represented by the Secretary to the Government, George Akume, also highlighted a raft of economic and social interventions under his Renewed Hope Agenda, including expanded cash transfers reaching 15 million vulnerable households and lifting an estimated 7.5 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Tinubu added that legacy projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline had generated over 600,000 jobs.
He said workers’ welfare was paramount for his administration, which has implemented a new national minimum wage, cleared pension arrears, and reintroduced gratuity payments from January 2026.
According to him, more than 800,000 informal sector workers had been enrolled in the micro pension scheme, while small businesses continued to benefit from a N200 billion MSME support fund.
“There cannot be decent work where workers fear for their lives, where wages cannot feed a family, or where insecurity disrupts farms, factories, markets, and other economic activities. These hydra-headed challenges, the government notes, have been treated as a national emergency due to their impact on productivity, livelihoods, and the confidence of both workers and employers.
“The administration also acknowledged that insecurity and poverty remain major obstacles to building a peaceful Nigeria where citizens can “sleep with their eyes closed,” and to achieving the Decent Work Agenda as envisioned by the International Labour Organisation.”
Tinubu affirmed that the agenda was not merely an international framework but a national imperative, aligned with the vision of a country where hard work is rewarded, opportunities are accessible without discrimination, and every citizen can reach their full potential.
He assured labour unions that despite the challenges, the government would not relent in its efforts, as it is confronting the issues through deliberate, coordinated, and sustained actions, backed by targeted policies and the resilience of security personnel—some of whom have paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.
Tinubu appealed to the NLC and the TUC to sustain dialogue and restraint in industrial disputes.
“Strike should be the last resort, not the first,” he said, urging collaboration to achieve lasting reforms.
Tinubu also extolled security forces for their sacrifices, which guaranteed economic activities, linking improved safety directly to job creation and national growth.
Apart from the worsening state of insecurity across the country and the daily killings of Nigerians by bandits and insurgents, some persons in Lagos are worried that some prominent Nigerians, including religious organisations and church leaders have not raised their voices to condemn the killings and the poor state of the economy that has impoverished millions of Nigerians,
Some Christians told Realnews that they were worried that Nigeria was not included in the counties that the Pope visited during his recent visit to Africa. To them, it is one out of the painful consequences of the disturbing level of insecurity in the country as well as harsh economic conditions and poor state of electricity supply among others.
A.I
May 4, 2026
Tags: ECOWAS Olusegun Obasanjo Osita Chidoka Soni Irabor
