Elder statesman Bode George has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent media chat, describing it as lacking empathy and humanity. George accused Tinubu of being indifferent to the plight of Nigerians, who are grappling with worsening hunger and poverty under his administration.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Tuesday, George highlighted the gravity of the situation by referencing three food queue stampedes last week that claimed 67 lives.
“There is hunger and anger in the land,” he said. “We are not feeling the so-called reforms; it’s getting worse by the day. Hunger doesn’t believe in your talk — you gotta be real.”
A member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), George expressed disappointment in Tinubu’s remarks, describing them as detached from the realities facing Nigerians.
“I’m surprised that there is no iota of somberness and humanity in the discussion. Why do you have a discussion in the first instance?” he questioned.
George also called for immediate palliatives and urged the administration to reduce the price of petrol, which has soared since the removal of subsidies in May 2023.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is grappling with multiple crises. The country’s state-owned refineries remain non-operational, forcing a heavy reliance on imported refined petroleum products. Fuel prices have skyrocketed from around ₦200 per liter to over ₦1,000, exacerbating economic woes in a country where electricity supply remains unreliable, and many households depend on petrol-powered generators.
In addition to the subsidy removal, the government unified forex windows, leading to a significant devaluation of the naira. The exchange rate plummeted from ₦700/$1 to over ₦1,600/$1 in the parallel market, driving inflation and pushing food and commodity prices to unprecedented levels.
George joined a growing chorus of voices urging Tinubu to reconsider his economic policies. However, during his media chat, Tinubu remained defiant, insisting that he had no regrets about removing the petrol subsidy, asserting that Nigeria could no longer “be Father Christmas to neighbouring countries.”
Despite the administration’s assurances of reform benefits, many Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of these policies, with calls for urgent relief measures growing louder.
