Prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing them as harsh, neoliberal measures that are worsening hardship and driving more Nigerians into poverty.
Falana made these remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, where he offered a detailed critique of the administration’s fiscal and monetary policies.
According to him, the government’s economic direction — particularly the removal of fuel subsidies and the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market — has led to severe inflation, heightened the cost of living, and effectively dismantled the country’s middle class.
“The masses are feeling the brunt of these policies,” Falana noted. “I have seen the President urge APC governors to ‘wet the ground’ more, but in reality, the lives of ordinary Nigerians are becoming increasingly unbearable. Even the President himself acknowledges that citizens across the country are voicing their frustrations over the economic hardship.”
He accused the federal government of adopting “religious” adherence to neoliberal prescriptions, primarily shaped by global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank — policies which, according to him, have fueled rising poverty levels.
Falana further decried the administration’s continued push for privatisation, arguing that the move directly contradicts any genuine effort to reduce income inequality. “You cannot claim to be addressing inequality while systematically transferring national assets and resources into the hands of a privileged few,” he asserted.
He lamented that due to the prevailing economic climate, many Nigerians are now unable to afford three square meals a day. “What we are witnessing is the systematic erosion of the middle class, which has been decimated by the government’s neoliberal agenda,” Falana said.
The senior advocate called on the federal government to urgently reassess its economic strategy. “It is in the best interest of this administration to return to the drawing board. These policies must be reviewed with the welfare of Nigerians at the forefront,” he stressed.
In addition to policy reform, Falana advocated for the legal codification of social welfare programmes as a structural response to the deepening crisis. Citing the Social Investment Programme Agency Act signed into law in 2023, he emphasised the importance of implementing welfare-focused legislation as a foundation for poverty eradication.
“To effectively combat poverty, we must go beyond temporary relief and begin to implement social welfare laws,” he said. He urged President Tinubu to work closely with state governors to domesticate and legislate social investment initiatives across all states.
Falana pointed to the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) as a viable mechanism for delivering relief to vulnerable Nigerians. The programme includes schemes such as N-Power, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), school feeding initiatives, and conditional cash transfers to indigent households.
“The President should be able to persuade governors to codify these social programmes into law, ensuring they are protected, consistent, and impactful,” he concluded.