Even if given 300 Years, Tinubu cannot solve hardship in Nigeria – Deji Adeyanju
Deji Adeyanju, a well-known human rights activist and lawyer, has voiced his concerns regarding the current state of Nigeria’s economy.
Adeyanju believes that even if President Bola Tinubu were given 300 years in office, he would still be unable to ease Nigeria’s present hardships.
In a candid interview, Deji Adeyanju criticized the current administration for its lack of support for the poor, pointing to the nation’s ongoing economic challenges.
Adeyanju described Nigeria as a nation that prioritizes the rich, where the poor are burdened with heavy taxes and forced to pay inflated prices for basic necessities.
He emphasized that the current state of the nation offers no benefit to the average Nigerian.
He pointed out the irony of the government’s response to minors protesting hunger and insecurity, imprisoning them for 93 days without food and charging them with treasonable offenses.
Adeyanju also highlighted the contradiction in the government’s approach of integrating Boko Haram members into society while prosecuting minors for terrorism and treasonable felony charges.
He said:
“This nation, as currently constituted, can be akin to a concentration camp where citizens are forced to stay. And if you doubt me, if you think that Nigeria is not a concentration camp, let’s run a social experiment.
“Let the United States of America alone make their country visa-free to Nigerians, and let’s count how many of us will remain. So that is what best describes this nation—a nation where the rich are not paying for doing business, for buying private jets.
“But the poor are taxed to pay triple the price, and now quadruple the price of petrol cannot be said to be a nation for poor people. This nation is anti-poor; by and large, it’s an anti-poor people’s nation, so that is my take. In terms of economics and politics, it does not favor the average Nigerian in any way.
“So, a nation where minors are being arraigned for terrorism for saying, “We are hungry; this is the reason why we are protesting; please, government should help us; government should stop insecurity.
“In response, the government says, ‘Come on, lock them up for 93 days without food, starve them,” and above all, slams them with treasonable felony charges and parades them like common criminals.”
“And this is a nation where police chiefs are hustling to take pictures with bandits in Zamfara. They organize an elaborate ceremony, according to them, to integrate Boko Haram members into society. Then you arraign minors in the society for terrorism and treasonable felony charges, so our nation is an irony”.
