Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticised the Federal Government’s economic reforms, arguing that rising poverty shows the need to assess leadership by its impact on citizens rather than by improvements in economic indicators.
Makinde said one presidential term was enough for Nigerians to determine a leader’s priorities and decide whether the government deserved another mandate.
The governor stated this in a newsletter released on Thursday, in which he compared his administration’s approach to governance in Oyo State with the Federal Government’s handling of the economy under President Bola Tinubu.
He acknowledged that the removal of petrol subsidy and the adoption of a more flexible foreign exchange regime were backed by economic arguments but insisted that the consequences for ordinary Nigerians must also be considered.
“Policies tell you what a government wants to change. The order in which it chooses to make those changes tells you how that government thinks,” Makinde said.
He added, “There are never enough resources for government to meet every need at once. So, leadership is about what you choose to do first, what you are prepared to postpone, and who bears the cost of those choices.”
The governor said his administration, which took office in 2019, prioritised the payment of workers’ salaries, pensions and inherited gratuity arrears while pursuing infrastructure development.
