Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former political adviser to President Bola Tinubu, has criticised the current administration for failing to enhance both the quality of governance and the standard of living for ordinary Nigerians.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm programme on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed said, “The Tinubu administration has clearly failed to meet the expectations that it would significantly improve the quality of governance.”
The former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) blamed the administration’s removal of the petrol subsidy for worsening living conditions across the country. He acknowledged that reversing the subsidy removal would be unrealistic but urged President Tinubu to address the “wastage of resources” now available to state and local governments due to the policy.
Baba-Ahmed called on the president to ensure greater accountability across all tiers of government. He emphasised the need to combat corruption and insecurity, reduce poverty, and focus on infrastructure and social development. He also urged Tinubu to use his authority to ensure that governors, particularly those from the All Progressives Congress (APC), use allocated funds responsibly.
“There is an overwhelming amount of waste, abuse of resources, and rampant corruption,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, Baba-Ahmed said successive governments had performed worse than their predecessors. “Nigeria is a tragedy. Despite operating a democratic system, we lack the core principle that leaders must serve the people, protect their resources, and govern in the citizens’ best interest,” he asserted.
He acknowledged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo performed relatively well during his first seven years, though his attempt at a third term tainted his legacy. Baba-Ahmed described President Umaru Yar’Adua as a breath of fresh air—young, visionary, and strong—but said his early death cut short any real impact.
He criticised President Goodluck Jonathan for poor leadership and said Nigerians wrongly assumed that replacing him would bring better governance. “Jonathan governed badly; Buhari did not govern at all,” he added.
Turning to President Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed argued that he began his tenure on the wrong foot by declaring it was his turn to rule. “Even if we overlook that comment, we now have nearly two years of performance to assess. The government may boast of international ratings and World Bank statistics, but those are not the true measures. The real test lies in how citizens live. By that measure, Tinubu’s administration has failed to meet expectations of meaningful change from Buhari’s era.”
He concluded by stating that Nigeria’s democratic failure stems from the selfishness of its leaders. “Those who have sought and acquired power have governed in their own interest, not in the interest of the people who elected them. Even in the best of environments, leaders with such values would bring about the same dysfunction we see today,” he said.