By Sabiu Abdullahi
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the Vice-President, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for not living up to public expectations, especially in terms of improving the quality of life for Nigerians.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm programme on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed stated that the current government has failed to bring about meaningful governance improvements.
“Clearly, the Tinubu administration has failed expectations that it was going to radically improve the quality of governance,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed, who also served as spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum, pointed out that positive reports from international bodies should not be the only measure of government performance.
He stressed that the real test lies in how citizens experience daily life under the administration.
“They will tell you they are doing great with all the World Bank statistics, all the international ratings and everything, but that’s not the only measures you use to measure a government; you measure by the way citizens live, and if that is the yardstick by which we are going to measure this administration, then clearly, the Tinubu administration has failed expectations that it was going to radically improve the quality of governance of President Buhari,” he explained.
He further advised President Tinubu to prioritise the fight against corruption, address the worsening insecurity, reduce poverty, and invest heavily in infrastructure and social welfare initiatives.
On the removal of petrol subsidies, Baba-Ahmed observed that the decision has made life more difficult for many Nigerians.
He also urged the president to ensure better management of federal allocations given to state governors, particularly those belonging to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“So much waste, so much abuse of resources and corruption going on,” he lamented.
He concluded by calling for stronger accountability mechanisms and better governance at all levels.