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Falana noted that despite the President recently acknowledging the economic hardship faced by citizens, his policies have further deepened poverty.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, stating that the administration’s “harsh neoliberal policies” have decimated Nigeria’s middle class and worsened living conditions for millions of citizens.

Falana noted that despite the President recently acknowledging the economic hardship faced by citizens, his policies have further deepened poverty.

“I have seen the President ask APC governors to ‘wet the ground’ more, but as far as the masses of our people are concerned, things are getting tougher by the day because of the harsh economic crisis in the country, which the president recognise that Nigerians all over the country are complaining that things are getting tougher for them.

“Because of the religious implementation of neoliberal policies by the government, poverty is on the ascendancy. That will require a review of these policies,” he said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria faulted the government’s privatisation drive, saying it contradicts efforts to tackle income inequality, adding that the government must reorder its priorities and provide targeted support for vulnerable Nigerians, especially those in rural areas.

“You cannot be addressing income inequality in a country while handing over the nation’s resources to a few people in the name of privatisation.

“Most Nigerians cannot afford three square meals a day. The middle class has been wiped out by the neoliberal policies of the government.

“The government must go back to the drawing board and review each of these policies, especially those pushed by the IMF and World Bank, in the interest of Nigerians. It is in the interest of the government to review its policies as soon as possible,” he stated.

Since assuming office in May 2023, Tinubu has introduced sweeping economic reforms, including currency liberalisation and the removal of fuel subsidies.

While intended to stabilise Nigeria’s economy, the policies have triggered a high cost-of-living crisis, with inflation and poverty levels reaching alarming heights.

The removal of fuel subsidies, in particular, caused petrol prices to soar, triggering ripple effects across the economy, from rising transport fares to soaring food prices and general inflation.

Falana stressed the need for urgent implementation and legal backing of social welfare programmes to alleviate widespread suffering.

“To eradicate poverty, we must begin by implementing welfare laws,” he said, referring to the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which was codified under the Social Investment Programme Agency Act in 2023.

The NSIP is a federal initiative designed to reduce poverty through schemes such as N-Power (for youth empowerment), the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a school feeding initiative, and conditional cash transfers to vulnerable households.

“President Tinubu should be able to persuade the governors to codify social investment programmes and enact them into law,” he said.

Middle class now beg to survive in Nigeria – Chimamanda Adichie

Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has expressed concern over the economic situation in the country, saying many middle-class citizens who once lived modest but stable lives have now been pushed into begging for survival. Abuja

In an interview on Channels Television’s Amazing Africans, Adichie said the true measure of any political or economic success lies in how ordinary people are faring. She described the current reality as disturbing.

“Life has become so hard in Nigeria, and me I can see it. For example, people who were formerly kind of securely middle class, not that life was rosy for them, but they got by are now people who beg and are in need. That worries me greatly,” she said.

She noted that the cost of living, particularly food prices, has soared to levels that make survival a daily struggle for millions. Nigeria travel packages

“The level of suffering, how expensive food has become… I think the biggest political judgment one can make is about the lives of ordinary people,” she added.

The award-winning novelist said while discussions about the stock market and other economic indicators dominate headlines, what truly matters is the well-being of those earning minimum wage or struggling to survive.

“People talk about the stock market. Personally, I don’t really care about those sorts of things. What I care about is that person earning minimum wage, how is that person getting on in this economy? It is the suffering that worries me the most. And it is terrible,” she said.

Adichie warned that extreme hardship can push people into making desperate and dangerous choices.

“It is not to excuse crime, but I think when life gets very hard, even people who before would not have considered certain things suddenly are willing to, and that is dangerous to society,” she said.

samuelson06:
Man is even talking about three square meals. Wouldn't that tantamount to overfeeding in today's Nigeria? You should even be talking about two square meals in a day. It's that bad. We can't afford it. An average adult now spends at least 60-70k monthly to stay alive in Nigeria, and it's not even as if it's easy to make the money. O Tinubu Nigeria! I weep for you

Maxymilliano:
https://www.channelstv.com/2025/08/04/tinubus-harsh-economic-policies-have-wiped-out-middle-class-falana/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwL-byRjbGNrAv5vI2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeII-D6mKEMv7ofn3828szfmMS7RXttX_ijbShyfGG5PC7HK32yQmZkhbFxL0_aem_gslXzAXbbtfdATUHC8K60w

Gotocourt:
Country hard oOoOO, my new girlfriend is saving 5K weekly, am wondering how she's doing it, she's taking care of herself all by herself. She thinks I've got loads of money but local man is on God oOoOO 😥 🙏😅😂🤣.

Maxymilliano:
https://www.channelstv.com/2025/08/04/tinubus-harsh-economic-policies-have-wiped-out-middle-class-falana/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwL-byRjbGNrAv5vI2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeII-D6mKEMv7ofn3828szfmMS7RXttX_ijbShyfGG5PC7HK32yQmZkhbFxL0_aem_gslXzAXbbtfdATUHC8K60w