African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has accused President Bola Tinubu of plunging Nigeria into debt-driven “slavery,” describing the administration’s overall performance as a complete failure.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He argued that despite the removal of the fuel subsidy, the government has delivered little tangible benefit to citizens.
Previous administrations, he noted, channelled subsidy savings into programmes that supported ordinary Nigerians.
Sani Abacha created the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), while Goodluck Jonathan launched the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
In contrast, Okonkwo said, Tinubu’s government has failed to deliver basic public infrastructure.
“Everything about this regime is a failure. Tell me, just tell me. The President is borrowing this country into slavery,” he stated.
“He promised you that he was going to remove the fuel subsidy so that he would have enough money to provide public infrastructure for you… This president, who is boasting that by August or September he has gotten all the revenue he needed, has now removed the subsidy completely. He’s not giving us public infrastructure, no power, no good roads, no electricity, no energy.”
Okonkwo cited Nigeria’s public debt, which he put at ₦166.6 trillion under the current administration. He noted that the country is no longer paying the fuel subsidy, electricity tariffs continue to rise, and infrastructure remains inadequate.
“What is he doing with the money? They are squandering it on fake agencies. They are squandering it on private jets, private yachts. What is going on in this country?” he asked.