By John Azu
A Special Assistant on Media to former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has accused the Federal Government of admitting that its economic reforms have pushed more Nigerians into poverty.
Ibe, in a statement on Thursday, said comments by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, on Channels Television that the administration’s economic reforms had increased poverty were “revealing” and an indictment of the government.
He accused the administration of being more concerned with defending its policies than addressing the hardship experienced by Nigerians as a result of those policies.
“Let me remind Daniel Bwala 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,” Ibe said.
He argued that if the government’s policies had increased poverty, weakened purchasing power, raised the cost of food, transportation and electricity, and adversely affected businesses, they should be reviewed rather than defended.
“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,” he said.
Ibe said the criticism was part of the reason Atiku had proposed a review of the Tinubu administration’s approach to petrol subsidy and electricity pricing.
He said the former vice president had advocated a transparent, production-based subsidy framework aimed at reducing energy costs and providing relief to households and businesses.
According to him, the effectiveness of any government should be measured by its impact on the welfare of citizens rather than by how strongly it defends its policies.
“The ultimate test of good governance is not how stubborn a government defends its policies. Reform must have a human face, while economic policies should serve the people, not sacrifice the people on the altar of economic theories,” he said.
Ibe further criticised the administration’s economic policies, saying Nigerians should not be made to bear the cost of policies that fail to improve their living conditions.
“Nigerians are not laboratory rats for Tinubu’s economic experiments. They deserve relief, dignity and a better life, which a Tinubu second term cannot guarantee,” he said.
He added that Atiku remained committed to policies aimed at reducing the economic burden on Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.