I’ve Never Seen Poverty Like I’ve Seen Recently In Nigeria Under Tinubu - Sowore Says

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has slammed President Bola Tinubu's administration, explaining that Nigeria's severe infrastructure deficit and escalating hunger levels reflect a failure to channel funds from the removal of fuel subsidies into the nation's economic development.

He said poverty has reached unprecedented levels under Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking on Channels TV's live broadcast, which was monitored by SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Sowore noted that President Tinubu's administration, much like its predecessors, prioritises mismanaging Nigeria's resources over providing solutions to the citizens' problems.

Nigeria's infrastructural deficit is estimated to require between $100 billion to $150 billion annually for the next decade to bridge the gap.

The country's infrastructure challenges have hindered economic growth, competitiveness, and human development, with significant impacts on sectors such as transportation, healthcare, education, and power supply.

During a recent visit to his hometown in Ondo State, human rights activist Omoyele Sowore witnessed firsthand the alarming state of disrepair in Nigeria's roads and social amenities, as well as widespread hunger, describing the situation as the worst he has seen in his lifetime.

Sowore said: “There is total mismanagement of the resources of the country and I am not saying this because that is what people want to hear.

“It is because we were told as of a year ago when they took over power, the first decision they made was that they are going to remove subsidy and that whatever they saved from subsidy would be applied to managing the economy better to bring about prosperity, to bring about development.

“All of that cannot be shown to any in the country. I just came back from my state, Ondo State,” he said.

“And the state of road infrastructure is the worst I have seen in a long time. I have not seen poverty like I have seen until recent times.”

Sowore also noted that many Nigerians are currently worse off than they were in 2023, before Tinubu's inauguration.

Sowore's sentiments echo those of the Afenifere group, which recently expressed disappointment at the country's economic state under Tinubu's leadership.

The group lamented that Nigerians have been left worse off after just one year of Tinubu's administration.