society
Governing Through Hardship: How Tinubu’s Policies Targets the Poor
Governing Through Hardship: How Tinubu’s Policies Targets the Poor.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“Economic reform without justice is no reform at all. In Nigeria, millions are paying the price of mismanaged policy, rising inequality and administrative recklessness. The Poor Under Siege: Tinubu’s Policy Failure.”
There are moments in a nation’s life when governance ceases to be measured by competence and begins to be measured by suffering. Nigeria has reached such a moment. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, what was once marketed as “RENEWED HOPE” has mutated into structural hardship, widespread insecurity and the quiet erosion of dignity. Policies intended to stabilise the economy (subsidy removals, rising tariffs, new levies) have instead become instruments of pressure on ordinary citizens. The poor are no longer incidental victims; they are the frontline in a state-driven campaign of economic attrition. As W. E. B. Du Bois warned, “the cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” In Nigeria, citizens are paying that higher price; not with chains, but with hunger, confusion and shrinking opportunity.
From the administration of Muhammadu Buhari’s lethargic governance to Tinubu’s frenetic improvisation, the APC era reads as a study in systemic failure. Buhari governed by inaction; Tinubu governs by motion. Both approaches, however different in style, have produced similar consequences: RISING INEQUALITY, POLICY INCOHERENCE and DWINDLING TRUST in PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. Announcements precede implementation; reforms arrive without preparation; consequences are dealt with only after citizens suffer. Confusion, in practice, has become a governing strategy.
Tinubu entered office branding himself a “MASTER STRATEGIST.” What has emerged is a politics of approximation: ALMOST stabilising the naira, ALMOST attracting foreign investment, ALMOST governing effectively. Each “ALMOST ” has hardened into policy orthodoxy, each delay reframed as courage and each failure recast as sacrifice. Though societies do not subsist on intention. Citizens cannot eat forecasts, commute on promises, or survive on speeches.
From Reform to Extraction. Where strategic reform was required, Nigerians encountered extraction. Rather than phased restructuring, the government unleashed a wave of taxes, levies, tariffs and fees that transformed survival itself into a fiscal offence. The removal of the fuel subsidy, for instance, immediately escalated transport costs, which cascaded into food inflation. Electricity tariffs rose sharply, while power supply remained inconsistent. Customs duties and exchange-rate volatility squeezed manufacturers, eroding local production capacity.
Even the informal sector (historically Nigeria’s economic buffer) was quickly incorporated into the tax net without credit access, social protection, or supportive infrastructure. Economist Joseph Stiglitz has consistently argued that reforms that withdraw protection before providing alternatives inevitably harm the poor. Nigeria’s trajectory confirms that principle in stark, human terms.
At the heart of this approach lies a profound ethical contradiction. The state expanded its revenue appetite while shrinking its social responsibility. Taxation ceased to operate as a social contract; it became punishment. Families, workers and small businesses bear the cost, while politically connected elites navigate policies largely untouched. John Rawls, the philosopher of justice, reminds us that societies should evaluate policies based on their effect on the least advantaged. By that standard, Nigeria’s reforms are failing catastrophically.
Shock Therapy Without Cushion. The administration’s approach to fuel subsidy removal exemplifies this pattern. Implemented abruptly, it imposed pain without relief: no transport buffers, no food price stabilisation, no timely wage adjustments. This was not reform bravery, but it was shock therapy without diagnosis. Countries such as Brazil and Indonesia have shown that subsidy reforms succeed only when gradual, paired with targeted social safety nets. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has long argued that economic reform divorced from social protection is not reform at all; it is regression disguised as necessity.
Insecurity, Inflation and Policy Contradictions. Economic stress has been compounded by worsening insecurity. Farmers abandon fields due to violence and kidnapping, exacerbating food scarcity. Small traders are punished by currency volatility they neither caused nor understand. Exchange-rate fluctuations have transformed daily business operations into a gamble. Interventions frequently contradict each other: one day a policy promises relief, the next it imposes further cost. ACT FIRST, EXPLAIN LATER, APOLOGIZE NEVER and this has become standard practice.
The interaction of insecurity, inflation and policy incoherence creates a feedback loop. Violence limits production, driving up food prices. Inflation reduces purchasing power, increasing vulnerability to crime. Poverty deepens instability and instability deepens poverty. This is neither accidental nor temporary; it is the predictable outcome of fragmented governance.
Upward Redistribution, Downward Pressure. The human consequences are now visible in daily life. Parents ration meals. Graduates accept low-wage or precarious work for survival. Small businesses collapse under regulatory and tax pressure, while politically connected conglomerates thrive. Nigeria’s new system operates as a perverse redistribution mechanism: upward mobility for the elite, downward pressure for the majority. Poverty is no longer INCIDENTAL, but it has become STRUCTURAL.
Economist Thomas Piketty warns that when policy consistently favors capital over labour, inequality stops being accidental and becomes engineered. Nigeria has crossed that threshold. Economic reform without justice is no reform at all; it is a mechanism for reinforcing power hierarchies.
A Crisis of Ethics, Not Capacity. This is not reform fatigue. It is moral exhaustion. Nigeria is governed as though society were an abstract spreadsheet rather than a living community. Grace Paley once observed that politicians often speak obsessively about the future to avoid responsibility for the present. Tinubu’s presidency embodies this tendency. Citizens are drowning in the present while being instructed to endure for a promised tomorrow indefinitely deferred.
Du Bois reminds us that systems collapse not because they lack intelligence, but because they lack justice. Tinubu’s administration is not failing for lack of technical capacity; it is failing due to a deficit of conscience.
Denouement: Governance Is Not Performance. When governments wage economic war, the poor inevitably become the frontline casualties. Reform without justice is indistinguishable from cruelty. Policy without empathy corrodes legitimacy. Growth that excludes dignity is not progress.
Nigeria today is not suffering from a lack of ideas, but from a deficit of conscience. Governance has been reduced to performance, endurance to patriotism and suffering to proof of seriousness. But hunger is not a developmental strategy. Suffering is not a measure of progress. No nation can sustainably reform its economy by exhausting its citizens.
Legitimacy, once depleted, cannot be monetized. A state that asks its people to bleed indefinitely for an abstract future will ultimately find that endurance has limits. In Nigeria, the poor are not STATISTICS; they are SENTINELS of policy failure. A hungry nation cannot be governed on applause, nor can reform survive without justice.
society
Discipleship: “Walk with the Wise and You Will Become Wise” — Dr Chris Okafor
Discipleship: “Walk with the Wise and You Will Become Wise”
— Dr Chris Okafor
…Evil communication corrupts good character
…The Holy Spirit is the seal of redemption
True Christian living, beyond winning souls, requires nurturing and sustaining new converts in the faith. This was the central message delivered by the Generational Prophet and Senior Pastor of Grace Nation Global, Dr Chris Okafor, during a teaching on “Understanding the Act of Discipleship.”
According to him, soul winning without proper establishment and follow-up defeats its purpose. “The goal is not just conversion but fruitfulness and continuity in Christ,” he emphasized, noting that believers must also understand the conditions that make prayers effective.
The Necessity of Discipleship
Dr Okafor outlined why discipleship is essential in the Christian journey:
New converts require guidance to withstand temptations that could pull them back into their former ways.
They must gradually disconnect from relationships and habits that previously weakened their faith.
Support systems should be in place to help them navigate personal and spiritual challenges.
Consistent follow-up, rooted in love and care, helps prevent discouragement and negative perceptions.
Proper integration into the body of Christ strengthens their sense of belonging and commitment.
Understanding Discipleship
He described discipleship as a deliberate process of helping believers grow in Christ and align with godly principles rather than worldly influences. It involves:
Guiding converts until Christ is fully formed in them.
Transmitting biblical values that strengthen their faith and daily conduct.
Practical Approach to Discipleship
The cleric highlighted key methods for effective discipleship:
Fervent prayer for the spiritual stability of new believers.
Demonstrating genuine love and consistent care.
Regular follow-up visits and visible engagement.
Encouraging early infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Teaching habits that sustain spiritual growth.
Habits That Strengthen Faith
To remain grounded, believers were encouraged to cultivate:
Daily study of the Word of God
Consistent prayer and fellowship with God
Active participation in church gatherings
Bold expression of their faith
A conscious rejection of unrighteousness
Deep-rooted commitment to the house of God
A Foundation for Growth
In conclusion, Dr Chris Okafor stressed that discipleship thrives when believers are rooted in sound spiritual guidance. “When you walk with the wise, you become wise,” he said, adding that strong spiritual formation protects individuals from negative influences and preserves godly character.
The Grace Nation Global Sunday Communion Service, observed by members worldwide, featured testimonies, healing sessions, deliverance, and a special child dedication, rounding off the service on a note of faith and celebration.
By Sunday Adeyemi
[email protected]
society
APC’s Misrepresentation of Makinde’s Remarks: A Disturbing Display of Intellectual Dishonesty* -Olufemi Aduwo
*APC’s Misrepresentation of Makinde’s Remarks: A Disturbing Display of Intellectual Dishonesty* -Olufemi Aduwo
The attention of right-thinking Nigerians has been drawn to the misguided and politically contrived statement issued by the All Progressives Congress (APC), in which it accused Governor Seyi Makinde of incitement over his reference to “Operation Wetie”. Let it be stated without equivocation, the APC’s reaction is not only a gross distortion of context but also a troubling exhibition of either wilful ignorance or a fundamental inability to comprehend even the most elementary use of historical analogy. One is left to wonder whether those who crafted that statement possess even a kindergarten grasp of the English language, let alone the intellectual depth required for serious political discourse.
Governor Makinde’s remarks were clearly cautionary and not incendiary. His reference to “Operation Wetie” was an invocation of history, nothing more and nothing less. It was a sober reminder of the catastrophic consequences that follow when democratic processes are subverted, dissent is stifled and political arrogance is allowed to fester unchecked.To interpret such a warning as a call to violence is either intellectually dishonest or deliberately mischievous.
By attempting to criminalise a legitimate historical reference, the APC exposes a deeper anxiety, an unease with truth and a discomfort with reminders of what unchecked political excess can produce. The tragedy of the Western Region crisis is not a subject to be buried under partisan convenience, it is a lesson to be studied, understood and heeded.
It is both ironic and alarming that a party which claims to defend democracy would seek to undermine historical consciousness. Such conduct betrays a troubling tendency towards authoritarian thinking, where even words of caution are twisted into offences and dissenting voices are vilified rather than engaged.
The statement by Felix Morka, in particular, collapses under the weight of its own exaggeration. To leap from a historical reference to claims of “anarchy” and “murderous rage” is not only illogical but borders on the absurd. It is political theatre of the lowest quality. Furthermore, the attempt to cloak this mischaracterisation in the language of “national security” is both reckless and disingenuous. National security is far too important to be reduced to a tool for partisan intimidation.
The APC would do well to engage in introspection rather than projection. This pattern of deliberate misrepresentation and inflammatory overreach poses a greater risk to Nigeria’s democratic stability.
Nigeria deserves a political culture rooted in honesty, maturity and intellectual rigour not one diminished by propaganda, distortion and opportunism. In the final analysis, the issue is simple, those who cannot understand history are often the first to misinterpret it and unfortunately, the most likely to repeat its errors.
-Olufemi Aduwo is a
Permanent Representative of CCDI to the ECOSOC/United Nations.
NB: Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity, is a non-profit organisation with Consultative Status of United Nations
society
Prophet Oladele Ogundipe Genesis Hosts Jehoshaphat Night 2026 : A Powerful Night of Praise, Power, And Prophetic Encounter in Lagos
Prophet Oladele Ogundipe Genesis Hosts Jehoshaphat Night 2026 : A Powerful Night of Praise, Power, And Prophetic Encounter in Lagos
Genesis Global Isheri is set to host an extraordinary spiritual gathering tagged PPP, Praise, Power & Prophetic Night, themed Jehoshaphat Night, on May 1st, 2026, from 8PM till dawn. This highly anticipated event will take place at Genesis Bus Stop, LASU–Igando Road, Isheri Idimu, Lagos, bringing together worshippers, believers, and seekers from across the city for a night of intense spiritual upliftment. With a vibrant atmosphere already expected, the event promises a unique blend of deep worship, prophetic ministrations, and life-transforming encounters.
The night will be led by Prophet Israel Oladele Ogundipe, the host and founder of Genesis Global, known for his dynamic prophetic ministry and impactful teachings. Attendees can also look forward to powerful ministrations from guest ministers Minister Dare Oxygen and Mista Olamilekan, who are set to usher in an atmosphere of heartfelt praise and spiritual revival. The theme “Jehoshaphat Night” draws inspiration from the biblical account of King Jehoshaphat, where praise became a weapon for victory setting the tone for a night centered on breakthrough, faith, and divine intervention.
Beyond just a gathering, Jehoshaphat Night is positioned as a transformative experience where attendees can expect spiritual renewal, prophetic direction, and a deeper connection with God through music and the Word. With a carefully curated lineup and a strong spiritual focus, this all night event aims to ignite faith and inspire testimonies. Whether you’re seeking clarity, breakthrough, or simply a powerful worship experience, this is a night not to be missed in Lagos. Make it an event.
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