In a candid assessment, former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has characterized the leadership of President Bola Tinubu as the most challenging in the history of Nigeria. This evaluation comes in the wake of criticism directed at Agbakoba for the media blackout surrounding the Chicago State University (CSU) certificate controversy involving Tinubu, pending the Supreme Court’s final ruling on the matter.
Speaking in a recent interview with Vanguard, Agbakoba expressed concern over the surge in food prices attributed to the subsidy removal implemented by the Tinubu-led administration. He outlined various challenges confronting Tinubu, including the socio-economic crisis triggered by subsidy removal, the introduction of a unified single exchange rate, threats of a nationwide shutdown by the Labour Congress, efforts to provide palliatives amid public discontent, and the credibility issues arising from the Chicago State Certificate saga.
Agbakoba metaphorically likened Tinubu’s role to that of a pilot facing turbulent conditions during takeoff. He remarked, “President Tinubu has taken on a very challenging assignment. Let us assume that President Tinubu is the captain of an aircraft. Tinubu takes off from the runway; he has to climb out to a particular altitude. You know, in climbing, some pilots have a very smooth climb, while others have very turbulent climbing. Tinubu has been contending with two major headwinds.”
He elaborated on the challenges, citing the removal of subsidies and the exchange control issue. Agbakoba emphasized the need for Tinubu to exert maximum effort, stating, “He needs to push that throttle to the limit so that the climb-out can be great. I will say that the turbulence will continue until the Supreme Court makes its final decision.”
In conclusion, Agbakoba acknowledged the difficult period Nigerians are enduring, asserting, “What is obvious is that Nigerians have to go through a very tough time. It has been the toughest time in the history of this country since independence, as garri, rice, vegetables, and other staple foods are way out of the reach of the common man.”
