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Tinubu’s Reforms Have Deepened Suffering, Not Recovery — CCDI

ByOkikiola Adewale

PublishedMay 29, 2026

The President of the Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI), Olufemi Aduwo, has delivered a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing the government’s three-year record as one of economic hardship, declining living standards and unfulfilled promises.

In a statement released to commemorate the third anniversary of the administration, Aduwo argued that the much-publicised “Renewed Hope” agenda had failed to deliver meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, the government’s anniversary message painted a picture of progress that was sharply at variance with the realities confronting citizens across the country.

He maintained that rather than ushering in an era of recovery and prosperity, the administration’s policies had deepened poverty, worsened economic conditions and eroded public confidence in government.

Aduwo particularly criticised the removal of fuel subsidies and the management of subsequent economic reforms, arguing that the measures were implemented without adequate protections for vulnerable Nigerians.

He said the resulting increase in transportation costs, food prices and living expenses had imposed severe hardship on households and businesses nationwide.

The CCDI president also expressed concern over the continued depreciation of the naira, rising public debt and what he described as punitive taxation policies, warning that many citizens now face significant challenges meeting basic needs.

His words, “Millions of Nigerians are not experiencing recovery; they are enduring unprecedented hardship. The removal of fuel subsidies, recklessly implemented without adequate safeguards, has crippled households and annihilated purchasing power.

“The catastrophic collapse of the naira, spiralling debt, punitive taxation and chaotic economic policies have transformed daily survival into an exhausting struggle for ordinary citizens. Government celebrations of stock market figures and investor confidence sound grotesquely detached from the misery visible across the nation.

“Infrastructure promises remain largely ceremonial, with ribbon-cutting theatrics substituting for measurable progress. Power supply remains erratic, businesses continue to collapse and youth unemployment festers dangerously,” Aduwo noted.

According to him, persistent electricity challenges, business closures and rising youth unemployment remain evidence that the country is yet to experience the promised economic turnaround.

On security, Aduwo stated that kidnapping, banditry and violent crimes continue to pose serious threats to citizens, adding that insecurity remains one of the administration’s most pressing challenges.

He accused the government of relying heavily on political messaging and public relations while failing to adequately address the structural problems confronting the country.

“Meanwhile, insecurity persists with terrifying normalcy as kidnapping, banditry and violent criminality continue to humiliate the Nigerian state. What this administration describes as reform is, in truth, an elaborate camouflage for incompetence, cronyism and failed governance.

“Nigeria has not witnessed renewal under this government but rather a managed decline cloaked in eloquent sophistry.

“The Nigerian people deserve leadership rooted in competence, honesty, compassion and accountability, and not endless platitudes masking national deterioration,” he explained.

Okikiola Adewale

Okikiola Adewale is a young and vibrant undergraduate pen pusher with training in both print and digital journalism. He has a flair for writing, content development and people-oriented reporting to seek societal change.