Barau Jibrin challenges Osinbajo’s economic assessment of Nigeria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
Nigeria’s deputy Senate president, Barau Jibrin, has challenged former vice-president Yemi Osinbajo’s pessimistic assessment of Nigeria’s economy and democracy. At a conference in Yola marking the Adamawa State governor’s 59th birthday, Jibrin acknowledged the concerns raised while saying Bola Tinubu’s government was tackling the difficulties, reports Vanguard.
Barau Jibrin, Nigeria’s deputy Senate president and a senator for Kano State, rejected Yemi Osinbajo’s very gloomy assessment of Nigeria’s economy and democratic governance on Wednesday. He acknowledged the validity of several concerns raised by the former vice-president, while saying that the government of President Bola Tinubu was acting to address the persistent difficulties, according to a statement from his communications office reported by Vanguard.
Osinbajo, Nigeria’s vice-president from 2015 to 2023, had drawn on Afrobarometer surveys to highlight discontent with democratic institutions, the rising cost of living and declining confidence in the state. The data indicate that 64% of Africans prefer democracy to other forms of government, but only 38% say they are satisfied with how it works in their country.
The former vice-president had also cited a survey according to which 59% of Africans consider their economy to be in poor condition and 51% believe it has deteriorated. In Yola, Adamawa State, Barau Jibrin said the government mainly needed to communicate better about measures being taken to address unemployment, inadequate access to healthcare and rising prices.
