Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

A former Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Political Matters, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said Nigeria is facing more serious challenges now than when the current administration began in 2023.

Baba-Ahmed spoke on Tuesday during an interview on aTV show. He assessed the country’s situation in areas such as the economy and security. He argued that the present conditions show that the government has not met the expectations it set when it assumed office.

According to him, the level of insecurity and violence has worsened since the start of the administration.

“We are in deeper trouble than when you came. Violence are becoming a lot more serious than we anticipated. Three years into President Tinubu’s presidency, we’re seeing an escalation in the pattern of violence and its magnitude and impact on our people that we’ve never seen before.

“This is a president who came to power promising to put an end to this insecurity and to create a new path for Nigeria, create new living conditions for Nigerians, make life safer and more abundant.

“The president himself would admit that he has failed to do this, to live up to the promises he has made and to make Nigerians safe.”

Baba-Ahmed also referred to the recent state visit by President Tinubu to the United Kingdom. He noted that the trip involved many government officials and ministers.

“A few days ago, the President and the huge entourage of ministers and government officials traveled to the United Kingdom on state visit. It was a very festive event, from the media reports, very happy event.

“It occurred at a moment when, in just a few days earlier, there were one of the most horrendous attacks in Borno state, a few days before the departure of this huge contingent that the President led,” he lamented.

His remarks add to the ongoing debate about the country’s economic and security conditions under the current administration.

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.