PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s assessment of Nigeria’s progress in his 66th Independence Day address, arguing that the speech failed to adequately confront the economic and security difficulties facing citizens.
Eze, a public affairs commentator and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), made the assessment in a statement issued on Wednesday while reflecting on the President’s October 1 national broadcast.
He described the Tinubu administration as the worst democratic government Nigeria has experienced since the return to civilian rule in 1999, a position he based on what he identified as worsening economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and declining living standards.
Eze said the Independence anniversary should ordinarily provide an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices of Nigeria’s founding generation and assess the country’s progress, but argued that the current realities had made the occasion less meaningful for many citizens.
He particularly faulted the President’s handling of the economic crisis, saying rising prices of food, transportation, housing and other essential goods had placed increasing pressure on households.
According to him, economic reforms should ultimately be measured by their impact on ordinary Nigerians rather than by government projections or macroeconomic indicators.
Eze also criticised what he described as Nigeria’s growing dependence on borrowing, arguing that the government must demonstrate clearer economic returns from borrowed funds and ensure that debt does not become an excessive burden for future generations.
On security, the ADC chieftain accused the administration of failing to adequately address banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, insurgency and communal violence.
He argued that insecurity had continued to affect farmers, families, worshippers and young Nigerians, including members of the National Youth Service Corps, while limiting economic activity and deepening public anxiety.
Eze further listed unemployment, underemployment, food insecurity, inadequate electricity supply, infrastructure deficits, weaknesses in healthcare and institutional shortcomings among the challenges he said required more urgent government attention.
He said the President’s Independence Day address did not, in his view, sufficiently address these issues or provide convincing answers to Nigerians who continue to experience economic hardship.
Describing the speech as disappointing, Eze accused the administration of relying too heavily on promises of future economic improvement without providing enough immediate relief for citizens struggling with the cost of living.
He also criticised the administration’s approach to governance, alleging that its policies had widened the gap between government projections and the everyday experience of Nigerians.
However, Eze acknowledged that Nigeria had faced governance and development challenges under successive administrations, but argued that the situation had deteriorated significantly under the present government.
He accused the administration of failing to translate Nigeria’s economic potential into broad-based improvements in the welfare of citizens.
The ADC chieftain consequently urged Nigerians to use the 2027 general elections to demand political change, calling on voters to assess candidates based on their records, programmes and capacity to address the country’s economic and security challenges.
Eze’s comments come amid continuing political debate over the impact of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms and the competing assessments of Nigeria’s economic recovery, security situation and social conditions.
