Paul Ibe, the media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying they have pushed more Nigerians into poverty.
Ibe made the statement in reaction to comments by Daniel Bwala on Channels Television, where he said Tinubu’s economic reforms had increased the number of Nigerians living in poverty.
Reacting via his X handle, Ibe stated that admission was an indictment of an administration he accused of being more focused on defending its policies than protecting the welfare of Nigerians.
He argued that economic policies should be designed to improve the lives of citizens, stressing that “policies are made for man, not man for policies.”
He said “Daniel Bwala’s admission on @channelstv that @officialABAT’s economic reforms have pushed more Nigerians into poverty is revealing. It is an indictment of an administration that appears more concerned with defending its policies than protecting the people those policies are supposed to serve.
“Let me remind @BwalaDaniel of a fundamental principle of governance: policies are made for man, not man for policies.
“The purpose of economic reform is to improve human welfare, not to impoverish citizens and then celebrate their suffering as a necessary sacrifice.
“If Tinubu’s policies have pushed more Nigerians into poverty, destroyed purchasing power, increased the cost of food, transportation and electricity, and undermined businesses, then those policies deserve urgent review, not endless propaganda.
“That is precisely why @atiku has proposed a review of the Tinubu administration’s approach to petrol subsidy and electricity pricing, including a transparent, production-based subsidy framework that can reduce energy costs and provide relief to households and businesses.
“Reform must have a human face. Economic policies should serve the people, not sacrifice the people on the altar of economic theories.
“Bwala speaks of progress. But progress for whom? The government collecting more revenue or the Nigerian struggling to feed a family, pay electricity bills and keep a business alive?
“Tinubu cannot claim economic success while admitting that his policies have made more Nigerians poor.
“The ultimate measure of good governance is not how stubbornly a government defends its policies, but how positively those policies transform the lives of its citizens.
“Nigerians are not laboratory rats for Tinubu’s economic experiments. They deserve relief, dignity and a better life which a Tinubu’s second term cannot guarantee. Indeed, Tinubu is primed to be an undertaker if handed a return mandate.”
‘Nigerians not lab rats’ – Atiku’s aide blasts Tinubu’s economic reforms