The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged the Federal Government to acknowledge shortcomings in its assessment of the impact of economic reforms and establish clear timelines for improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
The forum also called on the administration to introduce immediate measures to ease the hardship facing citizens, insisting that three months should be sufficient to implement interventions that could provide some relief.
The ACF Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, made the call during an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, faulting the government's approach to explaining the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians.
He said the administration needed to admit that its assessment of the effects of the reforms had been inadequate and demonstrate a clear commitment to addressing their consequences.
“What do I want to see from the administration? An open admission that things are not going the way they were intended, or rather, they did not do their work very well on impact analysis,” he said.
Mohammed-Baba dismissed official assurances that the current hardship would eventually give way to better economic conditions, describing such explanations as disconnected from the realities facing households.
“All this attempt to justify reforms, ‘we will see the pains,’ ‘we are now feeling the pains,’ ‘the sunshine will come after the rains,’ you know, these are all hallucinations,” he stated.
He said the consequences of the reforms were evident in the declining purchasing power of Nigerians and the rising cost of essential goods and services.
The ACF spokesman cited housing, rent, building materials, transportation and electricity costs, as well as the condition of roads and worsening insecurity, as indicators of the difficulties confronting the population.
He questioned whether the government had conducted sufficient due diligence on the economic and social conditions of Nigerians before implementing its policies.
“Look, there is what we call due diligence. Has this regime done any due diligence on the conditions of Nigerians, especially with regards to these economic conditions? Secondly, have they done any due diligence regarding the existential conditions of people, and so on?” he queried.
Mohammed-Baba said Nigerians should not be expected to endure indefinite hardship without a clear indication of when the government expected its policies to deliver tangible improvements.
He urged the administration to provide measurable targets against which citizens could assess its performance over specific periods.
“When you say ‘more time,’ just how much more time do you need?” he asked.
The ACF spokesman said the government should spell out what it intended to achieve within one, two and three years, rather than making general appeals for patience.
“So we begin with the politicians, tell us how much time will you need, give us timelines of achievement: ‘By one year, we hope to do this. By second year, we hope to do this. By third year,’ and so on and so forth,” he said.
He maintained that the government did not need to wait for several years before taking steps to reduce the burden on citizens.
“Three months is enough time, I think, to put in place certain measures that will ameliorate the sufferings of people,” he added.
Mohammed-Baba urged the administration to communicate more openly with Nigerians by acknowledging their difficulties and explaining the practical steps it planned to take.
He said the government should demonstrate its willingness to address the hardship through policies that would improve people's living standards.
The ACF spokesman also criticised what he described as the disparity between the sacrifices demanded of ordinary Nigerians and the conduct of public officials.
“The rate at which the sufferings of Nigerians, the sacrifices they are calling for, is not extended to themselves is actually shameful,” he said.
On the 2027 general elections, Mohammed-Baba said the forum would favour political parties and candidates based on their commitment to good governance, accountability and the fight against corruption.
“Well, the Arewa Consultative Forum is leaning towards any party and any individual that will deliver good governance, accountability, anti-corruption to Nigerians,” he said.
He added that the organisation remained committed to promoting fairness and equity in governance, while expressing concern that Nigerians were yet to see enough evidence of these principles in practice.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum is all for good governance, it is for equity, it is for fairness. So far, we are seeing little of this now,” he stated.
Mohammed-Baba advised political leaders to make realistic promises and focus on achievable commitments rather than offering assurances they could not fulfil.
“Please don't promise heaven and earth; we know it cannot be delivered. The thing about perfection is that it is never attainable. So be modest,” he said.
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