ABUJA — A spokesman for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s description of Nigeria’s economic situation in 2023 as that of a “sick patient” diagnosed with cancer.
President Tinubu made the comparison in his Independence Day address on Thursday, explaining that his administration inherited deep-rooted economic challenges in 2023 and had embarked on difficult reforms aimed at addressing the country’s underlying problems.
However, reacting in a post on his X handle, Okonkwo rejected the President’s analogy, insisting that Nigeria is a blessed country and should not be characterised as suffering from “cancer.”
“God forbid! With respect to President Tinubu, Nigeria is a blessed country that has no cancer,” Okonkwo wrote.
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He subsequently turned the analogy toward the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing a previous comment attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to Okonkwo, several economic indicators have deteriorated since Tinubu assumed office, including petrol prices, the exchange rate and the country’s debt burden.
He claimed that the price of petrol, which he said was about ₦195 per litre when Tinubu took office, had risen to approximately ₦1,500 per litre.
Okonkwo also compared the naira-dollar exchange rate, saying the currency had moved from about ₦450 to the dollar to approximately ₦1,400, while Nigeria’s total debt, according to him, had increased from about ₦77 trillion to ₦166.6 trillion.
The ADC chieftain further criticised the administration over insecurity, transportation and food costs, electricity supply, employment, poverty, road infrastructure, rule of law and human rights.
He also accused the President of spending an excessive amount of time outside Nigeria, claiming that Tinubu had been away from the country more than 290 days since assuming office.
Okonkwo argued that the challenges facing Nigerians required a change in political leadership.
He called on Nigerians to vote out President Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 presidential election and support Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate.
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He also advocated the introduction of a refined-petroleum production subsidy as part of measures he said could make life more affordable for Nigerians.
President Tinubu, however, has consistently defended his administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign-exchange system, arguing that the measures were necessary to address longstanding structural weaknesses in the Nigerian economy.
The contrasting positions highlight the growing political debate ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Tinubu administration defending its reform agenda while opposition figures continue to challenge its economic impact on Nigerians.
