•Sagay, Tinubu and Aborisade
Prof. Itse Sagay, former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC); Chief Chekwas Okorie, founder and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Mr. Femi Aborisade, human rights lawyer and activist; Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), among others, yesterday, said President Bola Tinubu’s claims in his 65th Independence anniversary broadcast on October 1, 2025, were not in tandem with realities on ground.
President Bola Tinubu had assured Nigerians that his government has finally turned the corner and that the worst is over, reports Daily Independent.
He listed significant achievements made by his administration in education, health, security, economy and other sectors.
He said that the economy is recovering fast, his reforms delivering tangible results and that Nigeria has attained record-breaking non-oil revenue increase, noting that we’ve stronger foreign reserve position than three years ago and have recorded trade surplus for five consecutive quarters.
However, some prominent Nigerians reacted to the broadcast, saying the president’s claims are not in agreement with the cost of living in the country.
Cost Of Living Still High – Sagay
Prof. Itse Sagay, former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), said given the reality on ground in terms of cost of living, there is a disconnect between the broadcast and the situation in the country.
“We should be looking at what he said in terms of the cost of living and the reality on ground,” he said.
“We should be looking at the cost of buying food in the market, other necessities, house rent, cost of petrol, all those things. They are still high as I speak.
“You know some government statistics would be very positive, but how does it affect the people on the ground in terms of stark reality on the cost of living. I don’t think that the impact of the government policies is being felt right now based on what is on ground. It’s not yet being felt, maybe it will take time.”
On the president’s charge for Nigerians to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods, the legal luminary said the call is in order.
“Yes, that’s very important. I really think we should patronise Nigerian manufacturers, including him,” Prof. Sagay said.
Country Drifting Under Tinubu – Okorie
Chief Chekwas Okorie, the founder and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), said the claims by President Tinubu is false, noting that the country is drifting gradually under the present administration.
“Nigeria is gradually drifting with the kind of horrible situations we presently have,” he said.
“So, making this kind of claim that the worst is over in the face of these realities do not help matters. The claims are false and do not reflect realities.
“Nigerians, I mean the overwhelming majority of Nigerians, do not believe in what the president said based on their own daily realities.
“In all aspects of life, whether in terms of healthcare, or security, or being able to put food on the table, things are very tough. There’s no job anywhere.
“Our naira value has dropped so much. If you have a bag full of naira, it can only buy you a few things.
“If there is an election today, and it is free and fair, we will see the verdict of Nigeria. Their choice will tell whether their life is improving or not.
“If life is improving but it’s slow, it’s a different thing. People can have hope, because it is hope that sustains life. But life is not improving, it’s worsening by the day.”
On the president’s charge that Nigerians should patronise made-in-Nigeria goods, Chief Okorie said Tinubu and his men are only good in telling Nigerians what to do right while they themselves aren’t doing the same.
“And again, what the president and his people do most of the time, is a typical case of a preacher that will tell you to do what I say, but not what I do.
“How can this present government talk about encouraging Nigerians to buy made in Nigeria goods when they don’t do the same. They should show leadership by example.
“Who made the kind of vehicles that the president is using? And what of even healthcare? He patronises foreign medical facilities. He himself has proven that he has no confidence whatsoever in the Nigerian medical service and the equipment available. So, for every little thing, even if it is a headache, he will go to France to go and look after it.
“Every time he traveled on the so-called official trips, he will always stop over in France and all of that for his healthcare. And this is the person who is trying to encourage Nigerians,” he said.
Tinubu Out Of Touch With Reality – Aborisade
Rights lawyer and activist, Mr. Femi Aborisade, dismissed the president’s claims as statistical rhetoric that masks worsening hardship.
According to him, “The 65th Independence anniversary presidential speech shows a president who is out of touch with reality. On all measures, he has failed the Section 14 constitutional measure of good governance, security and welfare of the people.”
He argued that while Tinubu boasted of economic growth, “the benefit of economic growth does not trickle down to the masses. There is economic growth without development or improvement in the quality of lives of the masses.
“The increase in economic growth is consumed in frivolous spending such as purchase of presidential jets, presidential yacht, medical tourism and ‘philanthropic’ donations by the First Lady.”
Aborisade also singled out the healthcare sector as a point of contradiction in the president’s speech: “Mr. President says healthcare delivery in Nigeria today is better than in the past. Yet Mr. President does not show good example of accessing medical care in the domestic hospitals. Medical tourism and wastage of public resources continue. Does the president think the people are so poor to have lost the capacity for rationale thinking?”
On wages, he noted that the government itself had undermined constitutional guarantees: “The constitution provides for a living wage. A paltry sum of seventy thousand naira has been legislated. The minimum wage of seventy thousand naira is not even being paid.
“Fuel subsidy removal has meant unprecedented rise in cost of living and governments at all levels have nothing to show for increased revenue. Fuel subsidy removal has succeeded in making those governing richer while the masses are groaning in deepening poverty.”
Tinubu’s Reforms Amount To Breach Of State’s Duty Of Care – Nwanguma
In his reaction, Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), acknowledged that subsidy removal and forex unification were “long overdue,” but questioned their constitutional legitimacy in practice.
“The constitutional question is not whether reforms are ‘necessary,’ but whether they fulfill the obligation under Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 constitution, which states that ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.’ Without robust palliatives, social safety nets, and protection for the most vulnerable, the reforms risk amounting to a breach of the state’s duty of care,” Nwanguma said.
On security, he warned against the government’s triumphalism: “While the president lauded the military’s successes, it is important to interrogate the human cost of these operations. Reports by local and international rights groups point to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, prolonged detentions without trial, and indiscriminate military raids. Security cannot be pursued at the expense of justice; otherwise, it breeds further alienation and fuels the very conflicts the government seeks to quell.”
Tinubu’s Broadcast Full Of Lies, Total Disappointment — Yunusa
Tanko Yunusa, the National Coordinator of Obidient Movement, said the broadcast by Tinubu was replete with lies, noting, in a short chat with Daily Independent, that it was a disappointment that didn’t reflect the reality on ground.
“The speech is a total disappointment, it is full of lies and deceit. The talk didn’t reflect the reality on ground. Tinubu could have done better than that because Nigerians knows better,” he said.
However, Mr. Agbo Major, the National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), said much as it is still challenging in the country, the policies of the present administration have impacted to an extent.
“In all fairness, no one can say that the present administration hasn’t added something positive to the governance of the country. I think they are doing the much they can and I see governance like that. They will do their own and leave the stage,” he said.
