A former Minister of Education and ex-World Bank Vice President, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, yesterday disagreed with the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on the implementation of the Tinubu Administration’s economic reform programmes.
Speaking at the opening plenary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Enugu, themed “Stand out, stand tall!”, Ezekwesili argued that while the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange were “good policies,” they were executed without proper planning, triggering inflation and worsening hardship.
“Good reform, done the wrong way”
Ezekwesili, a panellist at the session, faulted President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural declaration that “subsidy is gone,” describing it as ill-prepared.
“Doing it the wrong way led to inflation. The reform was not prepared for,” she said, stressing that the policy “threw the economy into the inflationary situation, which punishes the weakest population of the society.”
While admitting that the foreign exchange reform was necessary to end distortions caused by a discretionary allocation system, she argued that the government had failed to cushion its impact on vulnerable Nigerians.
“What is going on is an abandonment of responsibility by the elite, and lawyers being among the most educated are at the heart of it,” she said, accusing the administration of being unwilling to listen to feedback.
Tunji-Ojo: “We inherited wrong choices”
Responding, Tunji-Ojo defended the government’s approach, insisting that the administration met a fiscal situation that required “surgery rather than analgesics.”
“As of the time this government came in, there was no provision for subsidy in the national budget. Paying for subsidy would have been illegal because it was not budgeted for,” he said.
He argued that Nigeria could not continue to spend $25 billion annually on subsidies, describing it as unsustainable.
“When a man has a tumour, it is not Panadol that is prescribed. Surgery may be the solution,” he declared, adding that money saved from subsidy removal was being reinvested in infrastructure.
The minister also highlighted reforms in his ministry, particularly in passport issuance, announcing that an ongoing personalisation policy will take effect from September 1. He urged the NBA to support a review of the Fire Service Act of 1953.
“Cost of governance still too high”
Another panellist, Gabriel Okeowo of BudgIt, said subsidy removal lacked accompanying cost-cutting measures.
“It would have been great had the President announced that new vehicles would not be bought for government officials, that fewer ministers would be appointed, and that the cost of governance would be significantly reduced,” he said. “Instead, the political elite are not committed to what they preach.”
George Etomi, pioneer Chairman of the NBA Section on Business Law, also warned that the independence of the judiciary was under threat. “Our judiciary was more independent under the military than under democracy. We must protect the judiciary,” he said.
Standing ovation for Tunji-Ojo
Despite Ezekwesili’s criticism, Tunji-Ojo drew loud applause from lawyers, receiving a standing ovation as many hailed him as one of the shining lights of the Tinubu Administration.