Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has accused the Tinubu administration of repeating the mistakes of past regimes with International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed policies, warning that Nigerians must mobilise to demand the true dividends of democracy.
Speaking in an interview, Falana condemned the government’s economic management and alleged deception of citizens by successive administrations.
“At all times, it is a boom for the ruling class but for the people it is doom. Nigerians must mobilise this time around to demand the dividends of democracy. You cannot improve the condition of members of the political class to the detriment of the national economy,” he said.
He recalled that since the 1986 Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) under General Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria has remained trapped in failed reforms recycled under new names.
“Nearly forty years later, we are treading the same dangerous path. The government merely gives failed policies new names to deceive the people. We are told to suffer temporarily for a future boom — but that boom always benefits the ruling class, never the people,” he said.
Falana faulted the administration for simultaneously devaluing the naira, removing subsidies, and increasing salaries and allowances of politicians — a mix he described as “provocative and reckless.”
He also questioned why the expired 2024 budget is still being implemented, while projects for 2025 are already underway.
On welfare, Falana noted that laws such as the National Social Investment Programme Act, the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, and the National Health Insurance Authority Act remain underfunded, despite tripled statutory allocations following subsidy removal.
“The removal of subsidies has tripled statutory allocations. Federal, state, and local governments must reflect that increase in social services,” he said.
He urged the government to strengthen the naira, end illegal dollar transactions in Nigeria, and consider joining BRICS to reduce dollar dependency.
On politics, Falana warned against early campaigns for 2027, urging INEC to enforce the Electoral Act. “You cannot devalue the currency, dollarise the economy, remove subsidies, and then raise politicians’ pay. That is provocative. Nigerians must rise and demand what is rightfully theirs,” he declared.
