Human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, has criticised the handling of the Nigerian economy by President Bola Tinubu, saying the country is “floating” with no clear direction.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Omirhobo said the government had failed to produce tangible economic results.
He said though Tinubu inherited a nation in economic neglect when he assumed office in May 2023, he had since failed to implement a structured recovery plan.
“When President Tinubu took over, the economy was already in shambles. Buhari did a bad job for eight years — he took us a hundred years back.
“We have not moved anywhere. Nigeria is floating. There is no productivity in the country,” he stated.
Using Lagos State as a case study, he said one of the clearest signs of economic stagnation is the decline of industrial areas, which he said are now dominated by churches, event centres, and criminal elements.
“Our industrial zones are no longer functional,” he said. “They’ve been taken over by religious centres, event halls, and hoodlums. Nothing productive is happening.”
The lawyer also faulted the administration for what he called a “rash” approach to economic reforms.
He cited the fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira as examples of policies implemented without adequate preparation or consideration for their social impact.
“Tinubu is like a doctor performing surgery on Nigerians without anaesthesia. You just bring them to the theatre, cut them open, and expect everything to be fine,” he said.
“He’s too rash. He’s not real. That’s the truth,” he added.
Omirhobo insisted that meaningful economic recovery required gradual, thoughtful planning, not sudden policies that burden the poor.
He said despite all the talk of reform, Nigeria was not seeing improvement.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, while responding to concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria about the state of the country in March, 2025, had said the country was making remarkable progress under Tinubu.
“Under President Tinubu, Nigeria spends more on economic and social infrastructure such as roads, power, healthcare, education, and security.
“The unprecedented N54.9 trillion 2025 budget is designed to revitalise the economy and set it on a new growth trajectory. Local and international institutions have continued to praise the Tinubu administration’s implementation of necessary reforms,” Onanuga had said.
But the lawyer said, “In terms of economic gains, Nigeria is not doing well. We are pretending — until one day we collapse. The government is not doing anything. No clear plan. No tangible results.”
He, therefore, urged Nigerian citizens to take more responsibility in holding elected leaders accountable, noting that public officeholders must be pressured to deliver not just policies, but visible outcomes.
“The time for silence is over. Citizens must engage, demand, and refuse to normalise failure,” the lawyer said.
