KADUNA: Professor Tukur Mohammed-Baba, Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has criticised attempts to justify President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, arguing that the policies must be assessed against the living conditions of Nigerians and the challenges they continue to face.
Mohammed-Baba said the hardship experienced by many households, persistent electricity problems and the country’s security challenges raise questions about the performance of the Tinubu administration over the past three years.
He also commented on Bwala’s position on the reforms, saying he deserved recognition for acknowledging their shortcomings after previously defending the government’s policies in public discussions.
Let’s be fair and congratulate Bwala. Whenever he is on social media, he is denying, but at least this time he is acknowledging that the reforms do not work,” Mohammed-Baba said.
The ACF secretary argued that efforts to defend the reforms without adequately addressing their impact on ordinary Nigerians risk overlooking the difficulties facing households and businesses across the country.
According to him, Nigeria’s poverty situation remains a major concern, with multidimensional poverty affecting a substantial proportion of the population. He cited a figure of more than 60 per cent to underscore the scale of the challenge.
Multidimensional poverty goes beyond income and considers other deprivations, including access to education, healthcare, adequate housing, clean cooking fuel and basic living standards. The measure highlights how economic hardship can affect several aspects of people’s lives simultaneously.
Mohammed-Baba maintained that the justification of the reforms must be examined in the context of these realities rather than through arguments that do not reflect the experiences of ordinary citizens.
“The attempt to justify the reforms is simply a hallucination,” he said, questioning how the President’s performance should be assessed after nearly three years in office.
He pointed to what he described as deteriorating living conditions, inadequate electricity supply and rising insecurity as major concerns requiring urgent attention from the Federal Government.
For many Nigerians, the cost of meeting basic needs, maintaining businesses and accessing essential services remains a central issue in evaluating government policies. Electricity supply is also important to households and businesses, particularly those that rely on alternative power sources to keep their activities running.
Mohammed-Baba’s comments reflect a broader debate over the relationship between economic reforms and the immediate welfare of citizens. Supporters of reforms may argue that difficult policy adjustments are intended to address structural weaknesses and improve long-term economic stability.
Critics, however, insist that the benefits must translate into tangible improvements in living standards and that vulnerable households should not be left to bear an excessive share of the burden.
The debate therefore extends beyond whether reforms have been introduced to whether they are delivering measurable improvements in purchasing power, access to essential services, employment opportunities and public safety.
By raising concerns about poverty, electricity and insecurity, Mohammed-Baba called attention to areas he believes should form a central part of any assessment of the Tinubu administration’s record.
His position is that the success of government policies should ultimately be judged against their impact on the lives of Nigerians, particularly those struggling to meet basic needs.
The Federal Government’s response to such criticism, including its assessment of the reforms’ outcomes and measures to ease the pressure on households, remains important to the continuing national debate over the direction of Nigeria’s economy.
