Tinubu’s Policy Missteps
The respected Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has fired a sobering critique of the current administration’s economic policies and their fallout on the lives of average Nigerians, especially in the northern region. From fuel subsidy removal and currency devaluation to incessant tax hikes amidst unchecked public sector profligacy, the ACF’s lamentation over the “deteriorating standard of living, inflation and unemployment” rings painfully true.
The body’s warning that Nigeria could potentially descend into “social chaos” if the economic hardships plaguing the masses remain unaddressed should serve as a wake-up call to the Tinubu government. The signs are already ominous – runaway inflation eroding purchasing power, chronic joblessness fueling hopelessness, and incidents of insecurity persisting unabated across vast swathes of the north.
What’s particularly concerning is the ACF’s observation that new taxes and levies imposed by the federal government have compounded the burdens on ordinary citizens already reeling under economic distress. This seems to be a case of utterly misguided and insensitive policymaking that has prioritized economic orthodoxy over the welfare of the masses.
Tinubu’s Policy Missteps of Removing fuel subsidies without implementing commensurate social safety nets and allowing the Naira’s freefall has directly translated into spiraling costs of living that working and poor Nigerians can scarcely cope with. Combine that with ill-timed tax increases, and it’s no surprise that discontent is simmering visibly, as the ACF has warned.
Perhaps most galling is the forum’s charge that government officials continue living in “insensitive profligacy” even as the public endures compounded hardships from misguided policies. This stark disconnect between the ruling elite and the populace is deeply corrosive to societal cohesion and stability.
The ACF’s solutions of urgent relief programs to bolster purchasing power and curb rising inequality across regions are pragmatic starting points. But the Tinubu administration needs to undertake a deeper reset in its economic management approach.
Austerity alone aimed at external debt servicing cannot be the sole driver at the expense of domestic economic resilience and social stability. Callous policies that erode living standards and opportunities for the Nigerian masses are a recipe for brewing unrest – a risk no responsible government should be willing to take.
It’s time the administration paid heed to voices of reason like the ACF. Tinubu’s Policy Missteps in its early days have already set Nigeria back on a treacherous path of mounting economic woes, insecurity and alienation of the public. A drastic course correction centered on alleviating the adversities facing the populace is an urgent imperative.
Tinubu’s Policy Missteps: Failure to act with empathy and farsightedness will only exacerbate the social fissures that the ACF has starkly warned about. The choice is clear for President Tinubu – pursue inclusive people-centric policies or preside over deepening strife. The hopes of millions weigh in the balance.
Reference
Tinubu Govt Policies Responsible For Worsening Standard Of Living, Unemployment – ACF published in Dailytrust.