The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has scored President Bola Tinubu low in performance since assuming office in 2023.
Baba-Ahmed, who spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, described Tinubu as a failure.
The former political adviser to the President said Nigeria is now worse than it was when President Tinubu took over the leadership of the country.
“Tinubu inherited Nigeria, but what has he done with it? He inherited a poor country; he inherited weak institutions; he inherited poverty and insecurity. We don’t blame him, but he’s been in power for three and a half years. He is a failure,” he said.
The PRP chairman also submitted that the decision of the President not to campaign in all the states of the federation is because he has failed Nigerians and has nothing to say to them.
He said, “Why doesn’t Tinubu commit himself to say, I will. I have the energy, I have the intention, I want to see Nigerians, I want Nigerians to see me, I want them to hear me explain why they are more hungry.
“Yes, he has nothing to say to them, I’m telling you, he has nothing to say to Nigerians.”
“The reason why he said, Go, gentlemen, go and campaign for me. I will stay here in Abuja and run the country. You’re running the country now? For three and a half years, you didn’t run the country, now you remember that you are here to run the country?”
NEWSNGR reports that Baba-Ahmed also faulted the administration’s economic reforms, arguing that the decisions taken by the Tinubu government are anti-people.
“He (Tinubu) made some tough decisions but they were anti-people decisions, a tough decision doesn’t have to be a good decision,” he said.
The PRP Chairman lamented that insecurity and the number of out-of-school children have increased under the Tinubu government.
“You talk about creating loans, that’s good, but do you know how many millions of children that can’t go to school under Tinubu’s watch in this country? Children who live in territories taken over by bandits, kidnappers, and who can’t go to school at all?
“Security has gotten considerably worse, it has never been worse like this,” he said.
On the administration’s defence of its economic reforms, Baba-Ahmed dismissed the economic statistics as propaganda, arguing the figures did not reflect the hardship ordinary Nigerians face.
“All these things you mentioned, this is the propaganda. Unfortunately, for Tinubu, Nigerians are not going to buy it. Children are not going to school, life is more insecure, life is harder,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed argued that there is no guarantee that things would improve if Tinubu secures another four years in office.
“He flashes all these statistics, he is saying, give me a second chance, even Tinubu will not say he made lives more better, what he will say is that yes, we are going through a difficult part, if you give me another four years, we will get better,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He noted that any government is expected to review the impact of its policies on citizens before embarking on them.
“You said the microeconomics is good, those are statistics that they use and they will tell you, if you give me another four years, I will see them. Sir, if you knew you had four years within which you’ll embark on a profoundly influential policy, shouldn’t you look at it first of all and say, I’m going to have four years and if I embark on these policies, it will have major economic impacts.”
“A thinking president will say let me do one or two things first, because I will impoverish people and the cost of transportation is vital and central to everything,” Baba-Ahmed said.
