Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has faulted the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu, saying they have only benefited the wealthy while deepening hardship for ordinary Nigerians.
Falana, who spoke on Monday during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, said while top officials of the All Progressives Congress celebrated Tinubu’s second year in office, most citizens are reeling from economic hardship.
“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 stated.
While acknowledging Tinubu’s repeated calls for public patience, Falana said such appeals cannot substitute for policies grounded in local realities.
He stated, “In fairness to the President, on many occasions, he has asked Nigerians to bear with him, to exercise patience, that our economic programme will lead to prosperity
“Whether you believe that or not is another matter, but the government itself realises that there is a crisis in town, that people are hungry, that many are about to withdraw their children from school because of the rigid implementation of neoliberal policies dictated or endorsed by the IMF and World Bank.”
He also criticised the decision to devalue the naira, noting the impact it has had on the cost of living.
Falana said, “My position, which I have made repeatedly clear, is that the government must abandon the prescriptions of the Bretton Woods institutions and have confidence in Nigeria so that Nigerians can be given the opportunity to run this country in the interest of our people.
“If you devalue the currency of a country that is import-oriented, you are going to have an astronomical rise in the price of goods, and that is what has happened to our country. You devalue the currency, and you lose interest.”
The senior lawyer also urged citizens to take budget monitoring seriously and hold public officials accountable for implementation.
“I want to challenge Nigerians to appreciate that budgets are presented to the National Assembly by the President. Governors also present budgets to their respective Houses of Assembly. Nigerians must take these budgets, identify the items one by one, and ensure we follow up and monitor their execution,” he added.
