"The Worst is Behind Us": Labour Counters Tinubu’s Economic Optimism, Says Reforms Worsening Poverty 

By : Olufemi Orunsola 

Following President Tinubu’s national broadcast commemorating his second anniversary, in which he touted the benefits of his reforms, affirming, “Our economic reforms are working. We are on course to building a greater, more economically stable nation.”, the organised Labour in Nigeria has delivered a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s two years in office, asserting that his economic reforms have brought “nothing but pain and suffering” to citizens.

Making this statement was the President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero.

The Labour leader accused the Tinubu administration of merely recycling “the same failed neoliberal experiments of the past,” stating that instead of the promise of “renewing hope,” the policies have exacerbated economic hardship.

Although this position directly counters President Tinubu’s recent claims that “the worst is behind us,” as labour leaders contend that his policies have plunged over 150 million Nigerians into multidimensional poverty.

In swift response, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has pushed back against Labour’s criticisms, with APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Ijeoma Arodiogbu, accusing the NLC of lacking objectivity and misrepresenting reality.

Arodiogbu described the NLC’s evaluation as superficial, suggesting it was “sponsored” and urging the union to “consult economists and policy experts before making such superficial remarks.”

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News recalls that in his national broadcast on the occasion of his mid term review of his administration, the had acknowledged the pains unleashed by his policies but asserted that the administration was dedicated to improving Nigerians’ lives and did not take their patience for granted.

Tinubu highlighted improvements in fiscal deficit, debt service-to-revenue ratio, IMF obligation payments, and a significant increase in net external reserves from $4 billion in 2023 to over $23 billion by the end of 2024, detailing new tax reform laws designed to eliminate multiple taxation, benefit small businesses, and provide VAT exemptions on essential goods and services.

However, NLC President Ajaero vehemently dismissed Tinubu’s assertions, stating, “you cannot cure a patient by prescribing the poison that made him sick in the first place.”