Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Campaign Lists Failures of Tinubu Govt, Unveils Alternative Blueprint

Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Campaign Lists Failures of Tinubu Govt, Unveils Alternative Blueprint

By Our Reporter

The Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of “unprecedented leadership failure,” listing 21 areas where it claimed the government had performed poorly.

The campaign, in a statement signed by its Head of Media and Communications Directorate, Comrade Mark Adebayo, copy of which was made available to newsmen on Thursday, said the administration’s policies had worsened the socioeconomic conditions of Nigerians.

It described the removal of petrol subsidy on the day Tinubu assumed office as a major policy error, arguing that it triggered sharp increases in transportation and production costs and deepened poverty.

The campaign also criticised the government’s foreign exchange reforms, saying the floating and devaluation of the naira had led to a steep depreciation of the currency and increased the cost of imported raw materials.

It further cited high inflation, increased electricity tariffs, erosion of the value of the minimum wage, currency volatility and supply-chain challenges among what it described as failures of the administration.

According to the campaign, the economic difficulties had also contributed to the departure of multinational companies and intensified the “Japa” syndrome, as skilled Nigerians continued to leave the country in search of better opportunities.

On security, the campaign alleged that persistent attacks by bandits and insurgents had prevented farmers from accessing their farmlands, thereby worsening food shortages.

It also expressed concern over what it described as increasing cases of abductions, including the kidnapping of schoolchildren, accusing the government of failing to decisively address insecurity.

The campaign identified acute food insecurity as another major failure, attributing the situation to insecurity in farming communities and rising transportation costs.

It also questioned the government’s conditional cash transfer and palliative programmes, alleging that the initiatives had been poorly distributed and insufficient to address widespread hunger and poverty.

The campaign challenged the Federal Government to subject its reported expenditure of N750 billion on conditional cash transfers to 15 million vulnerable households to an independent forensic audit.

Other areas identified by the campaign included alleged budget infractions, simultaneous implementation of multiple capital budgets, extravagant government spending, alleged nepotism in appointments and lack of transparency in government affairs.

The campaign also criticised what it described as prolonged presidential trips abroad, arguing that such absences raised concerns about governance and constitutional accountability.

It accused the government of suppressing peaceful dissent through arrests of protesters and restrictions on critics, while also alleging that the Cybercrimes Act had been used against journalists, opposition figures and government critics.

On foreign policy, the campaign accused the Tinubu administration of weakening Nigeria’s diplomatic influence, citing delays in the deployment of ambassadors and what it described as the country’s poor showing at the recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The campaign further faulted the administration’s infrastructure priorities, particularly its decision to focus on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road while, according to it, several economically important roads remained in poor condition.

It cited the Asaba-Benin road and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway among roads it said required urgent attention.

The campaign questioned the argument that presidential candidates needed prior experience in public office, arguing that several prominent Nigerian leaders, including Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and Dr. Michael Okpara, had achieved significant political accomplishments in the First Republic.

It also cited the late MKO Abiola, saying he had no prior experience as a councillor before winning the 1993 Presidential Election.

The campaign subsequently urged Nigerians to consider the Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje campaign’s “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity” Blueprint, which it described as an alternative to the policies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to the campaign, the blueprint is based on ideas-driven and results-oriented governance, with the eradication of poverty and insecurity placed at the centre of government policy.

It said Prince Adewole Adebayo proposed an accountable administration that would make the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution a key operating framework for government.

The campaign said its proposed four-year economic and structural master plan would be built around three pillars — security, productivity and prosperity — under a social democratic model combining state intervention with private-sector participation.

Among its targets, the blueprint proposes generating 75,000 megawatts of electricity and establishing four public and 36 modular refineries to address energy challenges and support currency stability.

It also proposes mechanised agriculture and digital innovation to promote full employment, enable farmers to return safely to their fields and increase food production for domestic consumption and export.

The campaign further said the blueprint would decentralise power through cooperative federalism and subsidiarity, with local government areas transformed into self-reliant centres of economic growth and security.

“This blueprint is the most practical panacea to Nigeria’s multi-sectoral challenges,” the campaign declared.