*Says governors/president lack power to close media outlets
Wale Igbintade
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has criticised the federal government’s economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu, describing them as “harsh neo-liberal policies” that have worsened living conditions and wiped out Nigeria’s middle class.
Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ yesterday, Falana said that despite Tinubu’s recent admission of economic hardship, the administration’s policies have further deepened poverty and inequality.
“I have seen the President ask APC governors to ‘wet the ground’ more, but as far as the masses are concerned, things are getting tougher by the day because of the harsh economic crisis in the country,” Falana said.
“Because of the rigid implementation of neo-liberal policies by the government, poverty is on the rise. That will require a review of these policies,” he added.
Falana faulted the government’s privatisation drive, arguing that it undermines efforts to address income inequality.
“You cannot be addressing income inequality in a country while handing over the nation’s resources to a few people in the name of privatisation,” he said.
He noted that most Nigerians can no longer afford three meals a day and that government policies have “wiped out” the middle class.
Since assuming office in May 2023, Tinubu has introduced sweeping economic reforms, including currency liberalisation and the removal of fuel subsidies. While intended to stabilise the economy, Falana argued that these measures have triggered inflation, skyrocketing food prices, and rising transport costs.
“The government must go back to the drawing board and review each of these policies, especially those pushed by the IMF and World Bank,” he stated.
To tackle poverty, Falana urged the immediate implementation and legal backing of social welfare initiatives such as the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which includes N-Power, conditional cash transfers, and school feeding schemes.
“President Tinubu should persuade governors to codify social investment programmes and enact them into law,” he said.
Falana also condemned Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago’s order to shut down Badeggi Radio 90.1 FM over alleged incitement, describing the action as unconstitutional.
“No governor, not even the president, can order the closure of a radio station. Arrogance of power is alien to constitutional government,” he said, urging the governor to reopen the station immediately.
He further advised media owners to challenge authoritarian actions in court, warning that failure to do so would embolden future abuses.
On ongoing political campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections, Falana denounced politicians for violating the Electoral Act.
“What Nigerians expect now is governance without distractions. Campaigning two years ahead of the election is illegal and diversionary,” he said, calling on INEC to enforce the law.
He urged both government officials and opposition politicians to focus on solutions to pressing issues such as electricity, infrastructure, and poverty, rather than ethnic or religious politics.
Falana dismissed calls for power rotation among geopolitical zones as “insulting to Nigerians” and a diversion from real issues.
“We must elevate the discourse. Elect those who have solutions to the problems confronting the country,” he said.
