Why FG’s Economic Reforms’ll Fail, By Shehu Sani

Shehu Sani has said the President Bola Tinubu government’s economic reforms will fail if Nigerians continue to face severe hardship without visible relief.

Speaking on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese, Ijebu, he said policies such as fuel subsidy removal, though necessary, were introduced without adequate cushioning measures, leaving many citizens struggling with rising costs of living, insecurity, and unemployment.

According to him, the policy is unsustainable for a country of over 230 million people who depend largely on oil revenues. Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the Senate from 2015 to 2019, agreed that the fuel subsidy removal was economically inevitable, but poorly managed in terms of human impact. He said: “Subsidy was not sustainable for a country of over 230 million people.

If we had continued, we would simply be eating our future. “You don’t remove subsidy first and start looking for palliatives later.

You cushion the people before you introduce the shock.” Sani acknowledged that states now receive significantly higher allocations, with some budgets rising from hundreds of billions to over one trillion naira, but questioned how the funds were being utilised.