President Bola Tinubu has come under fire for his economic strategy, according to Ambali Olatunji, the national president of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees.
Olatunji also criticized Tinubu for leading an overly large cabinet that included ministers and a retinue of aides when he spoke on Tuesday evening at the opening session of a two-day National Youth Conference organized by the union in Benin City, Edo State.
Olatunji stated that having 45 ministers and a plethora of aides is a significant burden on an already fragile economy, adding that Tinubu needs to comprehend the plight of the people.
The removal of fuel subsidies without a mitigation strategy was also denounced, and he claimed that the administration’s current economic strategy primarily harms the weak and the poor.
Instead of taking actions that worsen the already dire situation, he said, “We should be talking about reducing the cost of governance at a time like this. In light of the current state of the nation, about 26 ministers and a few assistants would have been sufficient.
“We are at this appalling level because the president also hastily removed the fuel subsidy without putting in place measures to mitigate the impact. We can only hope that he will turn around and the nation will move in the right direction.
“You cannot advocate for Nigerians to lower their standard of living while leading a lavish lifestyle. Nigerians are going through traumatic situations. People are frustrated, but we must not give up,” he added.
Olatunji also urged the federal and state governments to give local government financial autonomy while expressing gratitude to the Edo State Government, headed by Governor Godwin Obaseki, for fostering an enabling environment in the state.
The conference was held to help workers get ready for retirement, according to Comrade Lazarus Adorolo, the chairman of NULGE in Edo State. He also added that the skills they learned at the conference would be extremely useful to them after retirement.
The official commissioning of the Edo state NULGE House is the highlight of the two-day conference.
