…Blames poor communication for public discontent, cites NELFUND, highway projects
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, has challenged former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s gloomy assessment of Nigeria’s economy and democratic governance, insisting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is addressing longstanding structural challenges but needs to communicate its policies and achievements more effectively to Nigerians.
Barau acknowledged the validity of concerns raised by Osinbajo, particularly those relating to economic hardship, declining public confidence in democratic institutions and inadequate youth participation in electoral politics.
He, however, argued that the perception of poor government performance was partly attributable to the failure of political leaders to adequately explain their policies, interventions and ongoing development projects.
The Deputy Senate President spoke on Tuesday in Yola, Adamawa State, during a public lecture titled, ‘Democracy and Development: Rethinking the Leadership Question,’ organised to mark the 59th birthday of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
Osinbajo, who served as vice-president between 2015 and 2023, had expressed concern about the growing dissatisfaction with democratic governance across Africa, despite nearly three decades of uninterrupted democratic rule in several countries.
Drawing on findings from Afrobarometer surveys, the former vice-president highlighted widespread economic anxiety, declining public confidence in government, rising living costs, unemployment, inadequate healthcare and diminishing youth participation in electoral processes.
He noted that although 64 per cent of Africans preferred democracy to other forms of government, only 38 per cent were satisfied with how democracy was functioning in their respective countries.
Osinbajo also cited survey findings indicating that 59 per cent of Africans considered their national economies to be in bad shape, while 51 per cent believed their economies had deteriorated.
He warned that persistent economic hardship and the failure of democratic institutions to meet citizens’ expectations could undermine public confidence in democracy, particularly among young people.
Responding to the presentation, Barau praised Osinbajo’s intellectual depth but questioned whether the gloomy picture reflected the full extent of government interventions and ongoing efforts to address the country’s challenges.
“I know he is a very good orator, a good public speaker and an intellectual to the core,” Barau said.
Explaining why he had decided to respond despite initially intending to avoid making a speech at the birthday celebration, the senator described Osinbajo’s presentation as thought-provoking.
“Having said that, I am compelled to make some comments on the paper. It is a very beautiful and thought-provoking paper,” he said.
Barau identified inadequate communication between political leaders and citizens as a major factor contributing to public dissatisfaction, arguing that governments needed to do more to explain the policies and programmes designed to improve living conditions.
He said: “What I want to say is this: one important reason for the gloomy picture portrayed by the surveys, particularly those conducted by Afrobarometer, is what the professor talked about and specifically observed: the issue of communication between the leaders and the led.
“There is no proper communication,” he said.
The senator maintained that although Nigerians were entitled to demand better living conditions and hold public officials accountable, citizens also needed adequate information about the challenges confronting the country and the measures being taken to address them.
He cited interventions in education and infrastructure as examples of the Federal Government’s efforts to tackle structural deficiencies that have constrained economic growth and limited opportunities for millions of Nigerians.
On education, Barau highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), introduced under Tinubu’s administration, describing it as an intervention designed to expand access to tertiary education, particularly for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
He argued that access to education remained critical to addressing the long-term consequences of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion, especially in a country with a large and growing youth population.
“Before now, it was very difficult for a child who did not have the means to go to school. Now, everyone, except a child who does not want to go to school, can go to school in Nigeria with the NELFUND introduced by this administration,” he said.
The Deputy Senate President also underscored the importance of infrastructure development in stimulating economic activity, attracting investment and improving the standard of living.
He cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Badagry-Sokoto Highway and road projects across the North-east and North-west as evidence of ongoing efforts to address the country’s infrastructure deficit.
According to him, investments in roads, water supply and other essential infrastructure are necessary to connect communities, facilitate trade, reduce transportation bottlenecks and create conditions for sustainable economic prosperity.
He said: “When we talk about economic prosperity, you cannot achieve it without a certain level of infrastructure, including road networks, water supply and other essential infrastructure.
“This is what is happening currently in this country under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Roads are being constructed everywhere to propel the process of bringing economic prosperity. That is being done.
“It is a long journey, but it is being done. Yet, there is no proper communication.”
He urged political leaders and public officials at the federal and state levels to prioritise sustained public engagement, insisting that government policies could not achieve their intended impact if citizens remained inadequately informed about their objectives and implementation.
The senator also attributed part of the pressure on household incomes and the rising cost of goods and services to international economic developments, arguing that Nigeria’s current difficulties could not be considered in isolation from global events.
He pointed to the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East as factors that had disrupted international supply chains, increased energy costs and raised production expenses across several economies.
Barau also cited tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic international oil transit route, as one of the factors contributing to volatility in global energy markets.
According to him, “The fact is that these challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria; they have an international dimension. The rising cost of living is partly attributable to conflicts in different parts of the world, including the Middle East, as well as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
“These conflicts have disrupted global supply chains, driven up energy prices and increased the cost of goods and services worldwide.”
The senator, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, argued that developments in international energy and commodity markets could have significant implications for Nigeria, given the country’s exposure to global trade and the cost of imported goods and production inputs.
“Nigeria is not an island,” he said.
Barau’s intervention came against the backdrop of continuing public debate over the effects of Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the pressure on household incomes, transportation costs and prices of essential commodities.
While the Federal Government has defended its policy direction as necessary to address longstanding economic distortions, the scale of the immediate hardship has continued to generate public concern over the pace at which the benefits of the reforms would translate into improved living conditions.
Osinbajo’s lecture similarly drew attention to the wider democratic implications of persistent economic difficulties, particularly the possibility that citizens could lose faith in democratic institutions if governments failed to respond adequately to their expectations.
Barau, however, argued that bridging the gap between public expectations and government performance required political leaders to communicate more clearly, explain policy choices and provide credible information on the progress of ongoing interventions.
He called on public officials and other stakeholders to take collective responsibility for improving public understanding of government policies, stressing that effective communication should complement, rather than replace, tangible results.
For the Deputy Senate President, the challenge confronting Nigeria is therefore not only the implementation of policies to address economic and infrastructural deficits but also ensuring that citizens understand what the government is doing, why the interventions are necessary and how they are expected to improve their lives.
He maintained that sustained engagement between leaders and the electorate would be essential to rebuilding public confidence, strengthening democratic institutions and securing broader support for the country’s development agenda.