Mr. President, This Is Not a Dilapidated Nigeria: An Open Rebuke of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Extravagant Governance.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared in 2023 that he inherited a “dilapidated Nigeria” from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, many Nigerians expected an urgent shift toward austerity, fiscal discipline, and a governance style that reflects the dire economic realities facing the nation; but what we have seen under Tinubu’s government is not the leadership of a man burdened with fixing a broken country. Instead, it is the portrait of extravagant ruling elites drowning the nation in reckless spending while millions of citizens are crushed under inflation, joblessness, insecurity, and despair.

It is for this reason that Emir of Kano and former CBN Governor Mohammed Sanusi II bluntly told Tinubu: “You do not claim to have inherited a dilapidated economy and then proceed to spend like a drunken sailor.” His words sting with truth and today, Nigerians demand a response beyond media propaganda and deflection.

Extravagant Spending Amid National Hardship

How can President Tinubu justify allocating ₦21 billion to renovate the Vice President’s residence in Abuja and an international conference center built for ₦240 million in 1991 renovated for ₦39 billion, when public universities are struggling to buy basic laboratory equipment and students sleep on floors? If the country is truly dilapidated, why should National Assembly members be gifted ₦70 billion worth of SUVs at ₦160 million each, in the same year citizens are taxed to death for basic services?

Even more appalling is the ₦5 billion budgeted for vehicles for the office of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (an office that does not exist in the Nigerian Constitution). Is this not fraud with a fancy name?

Then comes the presidential fleet, which received an allocation of ₦5 billion in 2024, while another ₦5 billion was budgeted for a luxury presidential yacht. Let that sink in: a yacht in a nation where nearly 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty (according to the National Bureau of Statistics, 2022).

Corruption and Nepotism Masked as Governance

How can we take Tinubu’s reform agenda seriously when he awarded a ₦15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire and close ally of the President? Let us remember: Chagoury was once deported under former President Obasanjo for economic sabotage. Today, he’s back in favor; not by merit, but by political convenience.

What about the ₦5 billion allocated to the Presidential Tax Reform Committee headed by Taiwo Oyedele? To date, Nigerians have seen no report, no reform outcomes, just photo-ops, and hollow press statements.

And if things are so bad, why appoint the largest cabinet in Nigerian history (48 ministers) when the Oronsaye Report has already recommended the downsizing and merging overlapping ministries and agencies? What happened to that cost-saving reform?

The Subsidy Scam

Tinubu told Nigerians that he removed fuel subsidies to free up funds for development, but where is the money? How much has been saved and how has it been spent? Till now, there’s no transparent accounting.

On the contrary, after removing the subsidy, pump prices skyrocketed from ₦185/liter to over ₦900/liter in many states. Electricity tariffs followed suit. While Nigerians were told to “tighten their belts,” the government loosened theirs with gold-plated policies and unchecked looting.

Governance Without Empathy

Under Tinubu’s watch, education has become a privilege, not a right. Public university lecturers are owed a backlog of salaries from previous ASUU strikes. Students are being priced out of classrooms by inflated fees. And health? Only the wealthy can afford decent hospitals, while public health institutions resemble war zones.

Food prices have doubled. A 50kg bag of rice now costs over ₦75,000. Tomatoes, which used to be ₦300 per basket, now go for ₦10,000 in some markets. Yet, the President and his vice continue globe-trotting at taxpayers’ expense.

According to BudgIT’s 2024 report, the Tinubu government allocated ₦90 billion for Hajj pilgrimage. Is Nigeria now a theocracy? Should religion be more important than education, health, infrastructure, and human capital?

Meanwhile, each Senator reportedly earns ₦21 million monthly, and House of Reps members pocket ₦13.5 million. These increments were passed under Tinubu’s administration without a whisper of concern for the 133 million poor Nigerians.

The Deceptive “Renewed Hope”

Tinubu’s campaign slogan, “Renewed Hope,” has fast become “Renewed Hopelessness.” Nigerians have seen no signs of a turnaround. Instead, what they see is a system where:

Nepotism thrives: critical appointments are handed to cronies, not technocrats.

Security remains elusive: from Zamfara to Plateau, Benue to Borno, killings are rampant.

Inflation is unchecked: currently at 33.69% (May 2025), according to the NBS.

The naira is weak: trading at over ₦1,500/$1 in the parallel market.

Unemployment continues to soar: youth unemployment stands at 53.4%, the highest in West Africa.

IF THESE AREN’T SIGNS OF FAILURE, WHAT ARE?

Words from the Wise

The late Chinua Achebe once warned, “THE TROUBLE with NIGERIA is SIMPLY and SQUARELY a FAILURE of LEADERSHIP. ” That rings louder now than ever. Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka described our leadership as a “CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE MASQUERADING as GOVERNANCE.”

Even elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark recently declared: “This GOVERNMENT is not BEING SINCERE with NIGERIANS. You don’t REMOVE SUBSIDY and then begin to LIVE a LIFESTYLE of KINGS and EMPERORS.”

In the words of Prof. Pat Utomi: “LEADERSHIP is not about ACQUIRING luxury cars and private jets. It’s about making LIVES BETTER for the AVERAGE CITIZEN.”

Yet, what we see under President Tinubu is the institutionalization of greed. Leaders are getting richer, while citizens can barely survive.

Final Word

Mr. President, the claim that you inherited a “dilapidated economy” is not enough. What matters is what you’ve done with the economy since May 29, 2023. Sadly, the answer is clear: the cost of governance has exploded, the suffering of the people has intensified and trust in public institutions has eroded further.

We demand answers:

Where are the subsidy savings?

Why the jumbo budget for luxuries?

Why ignore the Oronsaye Report?

Why increase electricity tariffs without improved service?y

Why are critical sectors neglected while SUVs are bought in bulk?

Nigerians are watching. The world is watching. This trend must be arrested; urgently. It is time for accountability, not propaganda. If this administration is truly committed to rescuing Nigeria, then start acting like you inherited a failing state and not a treasure chest for elite consumption.

Enough of deception. Enough of waste.

Written by George Omagbemi Sylvester Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

“No Shettima, No APC”: 2027 Power Struggle Sparks Chaos in North-East Meeting

GOMBE — With the 2027 general election still two years away, a suspected plot to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima on President Bola Tinubu’s ticket has ignited internal tensions within the All Progressives Congress (APC), culminating in a violent outburst during a party stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe on Sunday.

The North-East zonal meeting, initially convened to rally support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid, descended into chaos when party leaders failed to reaffirm Shettima’s place on the 2027 ticket — sparking outrage among his supporters.

A viral video from the event captured the moment the APC’s Zonal Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu, was physically attacked, with an angry delegate striking him with a chair and another hurling a black plastic bucket at him. Salihu fled the stage as chants of “Shettima! Shettima!!” erupted from furious delegates.

Tensions flared when Salihu, during his speech, endorsed Tinubu as the sole candidate for 2027 but made no mention of the Vice President. His omission was interpreted as a deliberate slight, especially in Shettima’s home zone.

“This is a calculated attempt to sideline Shettima, and we will resist it with everything we have,” fumed one enraged Borno delegate.

Despite calls for calm from Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Bukar Dalori, the unrest worsened, forcing security personnel to intervene as chairs were flung and dignitaries exited hurriedly. Police were later forced to fire teargas outside the venue to disperse the angry crowd.

Before the chaos, governors of APC-controlled states in the North-East — Babagana Zulum (Borno), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), and Muhammadu Yahaya (Gombe) — had voiced their endorsement of the Tinubu-Shettima joint ticket.

But a critical moment came when APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, while attempting to calm tensions, still avoided a clear commitment to Shettima. “We are proud of the North, proud of our Vice President,” Ganduje said, “It is one ticket, according to the Constitution.” His remarks, however, failed to pacify the aggrieved crowd.

In the aftermath, threats of defection surfaced. “If Shettima is dropped, I will personally lead my people to vote for Atiku,” warned an APC chieftain from Adamawa.

Observers say the uproar may signal deeper cracks in the ruling party, particularly in the North-East where Shettima commands strong loyalty. “This isn’t just noise — it’s a warning shot,” said eyewitness James Abass. “If the APC doesn’t resolve this quickly, defections or a serious counter-movement are very likely.”

Notably, while some figures remained neutral, others from the region firmly endorsed the Tinubu-Shettima ticket. These included Hon. Usman Kumo (House of Reps Chief Whip), Senator M.T. Monguno (Senate Chief Whip), and several National Working Committee members from the North-East.

Meanwhile, APC’s South-East Vice Chairman, Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, dismissed the rumours as political distraction: “There’s a strong, respectful relationship between Tinubu and Shettima. These rumours are mere noise.”

Still, with emotions raw and divisions exposed, Sunday’s incident has thrown open a new chapter in the internal power games of the APC — and raised the stakes for 2027.

2027 Realignment? Tinubu Meets PDP Heavyweights as Political Tides Begin to Shift

ABUJA — In a move stirring speculation of early political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday evening hosted prominent members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

The closed-door meeting was spearheaded by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike — a key political figure and former governor of Rivers State — and attended by his close allies, including notable former members of the defunct G5 Governors bloc. This faction famously broke ranks with the PDP during the 2023 election cycle.

Wike and the G5 — which included then-governors of Benue, Abia, Enugu, Oyo, and Rivers States — openly opposed PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and instead threw their weight behind Tinubu, then flagbearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Since the election, Wike, still a card-carrying PDP member, was appointed Minister of FCT — a move that raised eyebrows and hinted at deeper political crosscurrents.

Saturday’s meeting included former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose, as well as ex-governors Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), all known Wike allies.

Though details of the discussions remain under wraps, insider sources suggest the talks focused on forging future political collaborations and possibly integrating the former governors more formally into the current power structure.

With shifting alliances and strategic dialogue already underway, the race to 2027 may have unofficially begun.