Ezekwesili Faults Tinubu’s Fuel Subsidy Removal, Says Policy Poorly Executed

Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s approach to fuel subsidy removal, describing it as a good reform carried out the wrong way, which has aggravated poverty and inflation across Nigeria.

Speaking on Monday during a panel session at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Enugu, Ezekwesili said defending the current administration was a “Herculean task” due to what she termed its “wrong-headed policies.

“You can have the right policies, but if you implement them wrongly, there will be problems,” she said.

According to her, the subsidy removal was not well-prepared, and its abrupt announcement worsened the plight of the poor. “It was a good reform done wrongly. Inflation is punishing the populace, and the poor have nowhere to run,” she noted.

Ezekwesili faulted President Tinubu’s sudden declaration of “Subsidy is gone,” stressing that it plunged millions into hardship. “Inflation hits the poor so hard. This was a reform done wrongly,” she insisted.

She further urged lawyers and the judiciary to reject prebendal politics and resist endorsing practices that only enrich the political elite at the expense of ordinary Nigerians.

“The idea that politics is the pathway to wealth is an anomaly,” she argued. “Any profession that rewards such behaviour cannot claim to care about tomorrow. We have 133 million Nigerians living in poverty, yet the political class continues to fail them. The legal profession must not reward prebendalism.”

In his keynote address, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, stressed the need for Nigeria to prioritise research and development (R&D) as a pathway to sustainable economic growth.

“Four of the five biggest economies in the world are also the highest spenders on R&D,” he said. “A firm that fails to invest in research cannot grow beyond its research. In 2022, Nigeria spent 96.3 per cent of its revenue on debt servicing, leaving little for capital projects. We promoted consumption over investment and production, but we are working to correct that.”

He also called on lawyers to review outdated laws affecting the fire service and correctional services, while underscoring the importance of channeling resources into infrastructure and research.

Another panelist, George Etomi, expressed concern about the state of judicial independence.

“Our judiciary was more independent under the military,” he lamented. “Democracy is being abused today. We must protect the judiciary.”