In a recent interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Professor Usman Yusuf, former Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and a member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), delivered a harsh critique of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Yusuf accused the government of underperforming during its first year, turning the president’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” into a period marked by “deception, destitution, and hopelessness.”
Yusuf lamented the plight of ordinary Nigerians, stating that many have lost hope under the current administration. “It pains me to see our people lining up to collect cups of palliatives. Renewed Hope has turned into hopelessness,” he said. He went on to assert that the past year has been filled with nothing but “deception, destitution, and hopelessness,” and predicted that the administration would soon resort to propaganda to distract from its shortcomings.
The former NHIS CEO also criticized the economic management team of President Tinubu, describing them as “tax collectors” rather than economists. “The economic team, to me, looks more like tax collectors than economists. Taxation does not grow an economy; only production does,” Yusuf stated.
Yusuf’s comments come amidst growing criticism of Tinubu’s economic policies. Critics argue that despite campaigning on a platform of “Renewed Hope,” the president has failed to improve Nigeria’s economy. Recently, former Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, also rated Tinubu’s performance poorly, suggesting that the country has deteriorated since he took office.
