Hakeem Baba Ahmed, former Special Adviser on political matters to Vice President Kashim Shettima, says President Bola Tinubu is disconnected from the hardship many Nigerians are facing.
Speaking on The Morning Show, he faulted Tinubu’s recent remarks suggesting that those who do not see progress under his administration are biased or unable to recognise development. The president had joked that critics who cannot see hope in his policies may need “jigi bola” eyeglasses.
Baba Ahmed said such comments raise serious questions about how aware the government is of current economic and security realities. He argued that no leader living in Nigeria and seeing the level of poverty and lack of accountability should expect citizens to applaud their performance.
The national chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party insisted that the administration’s reforms have not translated into better living conditions. According to him, Nigerians are “more insecure, more hungry and more desperate,” and reforms that look good on paper do not match life on the ground.
He also criticised what he described as poor transparency around the use of public funds. He said it is wrong to expect people to celebrate the government while they struggle with rising costs and feel that resources are not being properly accounted for.
Baba Ahmed expressed confidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress can be defeated in a genuinely free and fair election. He said Tinubu’s current mindset, which he claimed downplays citizens’ suffering, is one reason opposition parties believe APC is beatable.
He added that if the president goes into the next election with the same attitude and allows a credible process, the ruling party could be voted out. He pointed to what he called “10, 12, 20 failings of an administration that is saying we have done fantastic” as evidence of the gap between government claims and public experience.
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