Elder Sunday Oibe, Chairman of the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF), has criticised the leadership style of President Bola Tinubu, arguing that Nigerians are experiencing more severe economic hardship under the current administration than they did during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In an interview published by The Sun Nigeria on Sunday, August 23, 2026, Oibe compared Tinubu’s leadership with Buhari’s, saying the former president’s policies and style of governance had already created serious difficulties for Nigerians, while arguing that the situation had become worse under Tinubu.
He questioned the claim that the current administration has a clearly defined economic direction, describing such an assessment as difficult to reconcile with the daily experiences of ordinary citizens.
Oibe said, “He (Tinubu) cannot understand the reality of what ordinary Nigerians are passing through. If there is any time there’s hardship in the life of this country, it is now. It was hard under Buhari, but it is worse under Tinubu.”
The NOSCEF chairman also pointed to the widening gap between government officials and ordinary Nigerians, arguing that the president and other senior officials do not directly experience the financial pressures confronting households because many of their official expenses are provided for by the government.
The hardship followed several economic reforms introduced under Tinubu, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023.
The policy triggered a sharp increase in petrol prices from the previous subsidised level, with pump prices initially rising from about ₦185 per litre to between ₦488 and ₦617, depending on location and market conditions.
The higher fuel costs subsequently increased transportation fares and the cost of moving goods across the country.
Businesses also faced increased expenses for generators and other fuel dependent operations as electricity supply remained unreliable in many areas.
Food prices rose significantly as farmers, wholesalers and retailers passed higher transportation, storage and production costs on to consumers.
The prices of rice, beans, garri, bread, cooking oil, meat and other household essentials increased, while rent, school fees and other living expenses also placed additional pressure on household incomes.
However, President Tinubu and his administration have continued to assure Nigerians that the difficult reforms are aimed at rebuilding the economy and that the sacrifices being made by citizens will eventually yield better results.
Tinubu has maintained that the removal of the fuel subsidy was necessary to prevent the country from sliding into deeper financial crisis, while promising that the savings and additional government revenues would be channelled into infrastructure, economic development and programmes that would improve living conditions.
The President has also repeatedly argued that the reforms are beginning to stabilise the economy, improve government finances and restore investor confidence, while assuring Nigerians that the benefits would increasingly reach households.
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