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Hardship: Tinubu Has Plunged 30m More Nigerians Into Poverty – El-Rufai

ByYusuf Oketola

PublishedSeptember 3, 2025

Accuses FG Of ‘Empowering’ Bandits

The immediate-past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, has said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu in the last two years has plunged 30 million more Nigerians into poverty.

El-Rufai while describing the current administration as ‘an evil government’ added that Tinubu must be stopped from further destroying the country.

He disclosed this during an interview with Channels Television on Sunday.

“The one that is here now, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that we all supported to be president, has been given the opportunity. What are the results?

“We have moved the exchange rate from N400 to N1,600; 30 million people have fallen into poverty. Agriculture has been destroyed because of stupid policies of making food cheaper through importation,” he said.

He added, “I am not the only person qualified to call it evil because I know evil when I see it.”

Speaking further, the former governor alleged the Federal Government of empowering bandits by paying them a “monthly allowance,” sending “food to them in the name of non-kinetic, describing it as a kiss-the-bandits policy.

El-Rufai said the government is providing a soft landing for bandits terrorising different parts of the country.

He said, “What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance, or send food to them in the name of non-kinetic. It’s nonsense; we’re empowering bandits.

“It’s not the government of Kaduna State; it’s a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Kaduna is part of it. Kiss the bandits; that’s the new policy.”

The former governor faulted what he described as a policy that rehabilitates bandits rather than making them answer for their crimes.

According to him, the action was responsible for the lingering insecurity problem in the country.

He stated, “My position has always been [that] the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all. Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing, and then the five percent that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated.

“You do not negotiate from the position of weakness. You don’t empower your enemy; you don’t give him money to go and buy sophisticated weapons. That is why the insecurity problem has not gone away and will not go away as long as this policy continues.

“They can deceive, they can cover up, they can do propaganda, but those that live in Katsina, those that live in Zamfara, those that live in Kaduna, those that live in those states, they know what is happening.

“Let the governor or anyone come and deny. When the time comes, we will reveal everything,” the former minister added.

Meanwhile, El-Rufai, during the interview, also accused Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani being behind the attack at the Kaduna African Democratic Congress (ADC) committee inauguration last Saturday.

El-Rufai claimed that there was evidence that the state governor orchestrated the attack.

He said, “I have evidence; Kaduna State Governor is behind Saturday’s attacks. I will submit evidence to the IGP and other authorities if they care to investigate.”

He further lamented that “the policing system has collapsed in Nigeria,” alleging that police operatives were watching when the opposition figures came under attack.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that chaos erupted at the official inauguration of a transition committee jointly set up by opposition parties in Kaduna State last Saturday.

However, a statement by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Monday, described the allegation as baseless, adding that the ONSA does not coordinate a policy of payments and incentives to bandits.

“In that interview, he alleged, falsely, that the ONSA coordinates a policy of payments and offers incentives to bandits. This claim is baseless.

“At no time has the ONSA, or any arm of government under this administration, engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals.

“On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom. El-Rufai’s allegations are not only false but also contradict verifiable facts on the ground,” the statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa for the Office of the National Security Adviser, partly read.

Yusuf Oketola

Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.