Leading Southwest socio-political group, Afenifere, has delivered a midterm assessment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, condemning it for plunging Nigeria into what it described as “a nightmare of regressing hopelessness and despair.”
In its Midterm Report released this weekend, Afenifere accused the Tinubu administration of presiding over a deteriorating socioeconomic landscape and pushing the country further into poverty and authoritarianism, despite its earlier promises of “Renewed Hope.”
“The Midterm Report shows that every human development and sociopolitical index has regressed since the coming to office of President Bola Tinubu,” the statement read. “Rather than take full responsibility for the unmitigated suffering inflicted on Nigerians… the Tinubu administration has engaged in massive propaganda… and shown scant empathy for ordinary Nigerians.”
Central to Afenifere’s criticism is the administration’s economic policy direction, which the group claims has worsened the living conditions of millions of Nigerians. The withdrawal of subsidies and the floating of the naira, the group said, were executed without adequate planning, leading to severe inflation, job losses, and wage stagnation.
“Basically, due to unforced errors—especially the oversight of the production element of subsidies and the floating of the naira—the Tinubu Economic Reforms have turned out to be Tinubu Economic Deforms,” the group said, coining a biting new phrase to describe what it views as failed policy experiments.
Afenifere slammed the administration’s distribution of palliatives as “halfhearted” and “corruptly split among those connected,” noting that while real wages have been slashed by inflation, only a privileged 4.1% of Nigerians in the civil service have received significant wage increases.
“It is obvious that the Tinubu administration has no intention of delivering the greatest good to the greatest number of Nigerians,” the report said, labeling the government as “prebendal and for the privileged and connected.”
The group further criticized the prioritization of luxury expenditures—such as a new presidential jet, N160 million luxury cars for lawmakers, and unchecked constituency project allocations—while the broader population grapples with food insecurity and economic despair.
The Tinubu government’s failure to implement the Oronsaye Report, which recommends the rationalization of government agencies and parastatals, also came under fire.
“Contrary to its well-advertised electoral promise, the Tinubu administration is yet to implement the Oronsaye Report… The tone of government at all levels is one of a profligate ‘jaiye jaiye’ lifestyle, while the masses are being berated about Nigeria’s wasteful past.”
Beyond economic failures, Afenifere raised alarms over what it described as democratic backsliding and the erosion of constitutional federalism. The group accused the administration of attacking federating units by attempting to control local governments and refusing to devolve policing powers, thereby escalating insecurity.
“The Tinubu administration is destructuring instead of restructuring the military-imposed constitution… neutralizing the legislature and judiciary… The agenda is a one-party state totalitarianism.”
Afenifere also decried what it described as increasing repression of civic space and dissent, citing attacks on peaceful protesters, students, and opposition politicians.
“In the last two years, we have witnessed a marked increase in intolerance of protests… even government sponsorship of internal conflicts in opposition parties… [and] some recent appointments to the Independent National Electoral Commission are speculated to be card-carrying members of the ruling party.”
Calling the last two years “a harrowing experience,” Afenifere insisted it had a moral duty to speak out amid growing government propaganda.
“This Midterm Report is a duty that Afenifere must fulfil to prevent government propagandists from drowning the voices of millions of hungry and deprived Nigerians.”
The group warned that President Tinubu’s political team appears more focused on winning the 2027 election than on solving Nigeria’s existential crises.
“Rather than focusing on service delivery, the Tinubu administration is focusing on winning the 2027 election regardless of the voters,” the statement continued. “No amount of propaganda will erase hunger and poverty in the land. Only selfless and empathetic leadership can serve the people, not a prebendalist and hedonistic lifestyle.”
Despite the blistering criticisms, Afenifere stopped short of calling for Tinubu’s resignation, instead urging the president to recalibrate his approach and “love Nigeria and Nigerians.”
“If this Midterm Report were an academic exercise, the student would receive advice to withdraw… but we believe there is still room for redemption,” the group concluded.
The report is expected to ignite further debate about the direction of Tinubu’s presidency, which faces mounting criticism not just from opposition parties but also from respected voices within civil society.
