One Year of Tinubu’s Administration, A Tragedy – Bugaje

• Dr. Usman Bugaje labeled the first year of President Tinubu’s administration a “tragedy” for Nigeria, criticizing its inability to solve problems
• Bugaje emphasized that Tinubu’s policies have worsened issues and called for utilizing intellectual resources beyond the party for solutions

Dr. Usman Bugaje, an elder statesman and political activist, has described the first year of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as a “tragedy” for Nigeria and its citizens. Bugaje shared his critical assessment during an appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” where he evaluated the performance of Tinubu’s government in its inaugural year.

Bugaje, a former member of the House of Representatives, condemned the APC-led government for its inability to address any of the numerous challenges facing the country since taking office. He stated, “As a people and citizen, last year has been a tragedy. There is no one problem they have been able to solve. So, I cannot see any other than low-key; I give them a sense that they’re feeling the pressure; they can see the faces of Nigerians, and perhaps they are trying to see how they can assuage this anger because the people are angry.”

Bugaje also pointed out that the policies initiated by Tinubu’s administration have worsened existing problems rather than solving them. He said, “And in this one year, they have thrown people in the dark without… and this is the time really to admit and then seek help from those who know, and Nigeria is full of people with the knowledge, the expertise, and they may not be in your party and may not even be in politics.”

He emphasized the need for the government to draw on the country’s intellectual and administrative resources, even if those resources come from outside the party or the political sphere. “But this is how many countries have been able to get out of problems they found themselves. And what we are going through is not new; countries have gone through this occasionally. And what do they do? They draw from their resources, intellectual and administrative resources with people who have experiences; this country is full of them. But you see, they locked themselves up and are not delivering.”

Bugaje also expressed discomfort discussing the administration’s performance without established metrics for evaluating governance. He lamented, “We, as a nation, should have developed metrics for evaluating governance by now. In the academic circle,… and there are statistics.”

To illustrate the deteriorating security situation, Bugaje referred to a recent incident in which 20 individuals were reportedly kidnapped in a residential estate in Gwarimpa, Abuja. He remarked, “Just this morning, I read reports of 20 individuals being picked up in a residential estate in Gwarimpa, Abuja. If even Abuja, the seat of government, isn’t safe, it sends shockwaves throughout the citizenry.”