Lawyer and human rights activist, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on Tuesday said the present government of Bola Tinubu has worsened the poverty level in Nigeria.
The legal practitioner who appeared during a live programme on Channels TV said President Tinubu and his team should urgently find ways to ease the economic tension in the country as they campaigned to renew people’s “hope” during the electioneering period in 2023.
The lawyer also said there was no justification for the present government to keep blaming his predecessors for the woes of Nigerians, but they should rather be innovative in tackling these problems.
He said, “Just today, we paid out another $400 million that was so identified. In terms of the reserves, it has gone up to $34billion.
”Before the end of this year, if we are not careful, the Naira may exchange for N4000 to the dollar because there is nothing in place.
”If we are not careful we will get to the situation in Ghana, where they were carrying cedis in baskets to the market to go and buy things and put in their pockets.”
”Why have BDCs under the trees and tables control our economy.”
”But to me, it is most embarrassing when I see officials of this government blaming the Jonathan government that left office in 2015, nearly 10 years ago.”
”Ironically blaming his own predecessor whom they took over from in the APC government. I think everything has gone wrong,” he said.
“I know this is not renewed hope this is renewed poverty. We were already in poverty before, but it is now renewed on a higher scale, going back to the drawing board. By that, I mean that this government should try to rethink. Think outside the box. If possible. Think without the box. New innovations.”