By George Mgbeleke
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has strongly condemned the Minister of State for Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, for what it describes as a misplaced fixation on President Bola Tinubu’s second-term prospects while Nigerians endure crushing poverty, soaring petrol prices and an escalating cost-of-living crisis.

HURIWA in statement by its national coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,says Oyedele should stop acting like a political promoter for the President and concentrate on the economic responsibilities for which he was appointed. The association observes that Nigerians need urgent answers to their economic problems, not assurances about what international investors supposedly think of Tinubu’s chances in the 2027 election.

HURIWA maintains that the minister’s suggestion that markets and the international community are already pricing in a Tinubu second term is, at best, his own assessment and cannot be presented as a verdict on Nigeria’s political future. The power to elect the country’s next president belongs to Nigerians, not foreign investors, global financial institutions or powerful boardroom interests.

The association says it is disturbing that a senior economic official would use an international economic gathering to project the President’s re-election prospects when he should be explaining how the government intends to arrest worsening hardship, revive productive sectors, create jobs and restore the purchasing power of ordinary citizens.

HURIWA observes that the Nigerian economy cannot be defended with political projections while citizens are being battered by the consequences of policies they can barely survive. The association challenges Oyedele to explain how the administration intends to make life bearable for workers whose wages have been overwhelmed by the cost of food, transportation, electricity and other essential needs.

HURIWA further says the government must confront legitimate concerns about its growing reliance on borrowing. It observes that reports of increased revenue collections by government agencies should provoke questions about expenditure priorities, fiscal discipline and why borrowing remains a recurring feature of public finance.

The association recalls that economic commentator Dele Oye raised serious concerns about the growth of Nigeria’s public debt under the Tinubu administration in a report published by The Guardian on May 25, 2026. HURIWA says the government owes Nigerians a transparent account of its borrowing decisions, the projects financed with the loans and the concrete benefits those debts are delivering.

It warns that borrowing without demonstrable improvements in citizens’ welfare risks transferring an increasingly heavy financial burden to future generations. HURIWA insists that economic managers cannot demand public patience indefinitely while the costs of government policies continue to fall disproportionately on ordinary Nigerians.

On fuel subsidy, HURIWA rejects the argument that every form of subsidy is inherently incompatible with economic development. The association observes that governments in advanced economies provide various forms of public support to protect vulnerable households, sustain essential services and cushion citizens against economic shocks.

HURIWA says the real problem is corruption, waste, poor oversight and the failure to design and implement public interventions transparently—not the principle of helping citizens cope with unbearable economic pressures.

The association maintains that the removal of petrol subsidy without adequate protection for low-income households has aggravated the hardship facing millions of Nigerians. With petrol prices remaining exceptionally high and wages struggling to keep pace, HURIWA says the government cannot simply invoke market forces while ignoring the human consequences of its decisions.

HURIWA cites Professor Pat Utomi’s criticism of the government’s handling of petrol prices and wages, published by TheCable on October 16, 2026. Utomi questioned the President’s response to the suffering of citizens, asking: “But does the President care? How does he even sleep at night, knowing that millions of Nigerians are struggling to survive in a country blessed with abundant natural resources?”

HURIWA says this question captures the anger and frustration of citizens who see a country rich in natural resources struggling to provide economic security for its people. The association observes that economic reforms lose public legitimacy when citizens are repeatedly asked to endure sacrifices without seeing corresponding improvements in their living conditions.

The association therefore demands that Oyedele redirect his attention from political speculation to the urgent task of economic recovery. It calls on the Federal Government to explain how it intends to reduce the cost of living, expand employment opportunities, strengthen household purchasing power, tackle corruption and ensure that public revenue is translated into tangible benefits.

HURIWA insists that the success of economic reforms must be measured by how Nigerians live, not by how international investors assess the President’s re-election chances.

The association warns that no government can sustainably claim economic progress while millions of its citizens struggle to afford basic necessities. It urges the Tinubu administration to demonstrate greater sensitivity to public suffering, embrace transparent fiscal management and consider targeted relief measures that protect vulnerable Nigerians without opening fresh channels for corruption.

HURIWA stresses that Nigeria’s political future will be determined by the electorate, and no amount of international investor sentiment can substitute for the judgment of citizens who must live with the consequences of government policies.