Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of prioritizing business interests over governance.
In an interview with Daily Trust on Friday, Adebayo alleged that the government’s primary focus is business, particularly in the petroleum sector, rather than establishing a proper regulatory framework for the industry.
According to Adebayo claimed that the government sees Nigerians as customers rather than citizens, focusing on profiting from sectors like the petroleum industry instead of implementing regulatory frameworks. He further criticized the government’s lack of accountability in areas like education, healthcare, and water resources, stating that ministers hold titles without responsibility for real outcomes. Insisted that the current leadership is focused on business rather than running the country.
“They’re not running the country; they’re doing business. Occasionally, they get distracted by governmental duties, but their main focus is business. That’s why they are more interested in controlling the petroleum industry than setting up a regulatory framework,” Adebayo said. “They don’t see us as citizens; they see us as customers to make money from. Whether it’s by hoarding petrol or profiting off public education, they’re driven by a mercantile approach.”
He further criticized the government’s lack of accountability in key sectors such as education, healthcare, and water resources. “Ministers are not responsible for outcomes in their sectors. The minister of water resources doesn’t care if you have water. The minister of education isn’t concerned with whether students succeed in WAEC or JAMB, and the minister of health isn’t accountable for life expectancy or medical outcomes,” Adebayo stated.
He also reflected on Nigeria’s past, noting that Lagos once had the best water supply in the English-speaking world and that the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan used to rank among the top hospitals globally. “Today, we have people in positions of power, but they are not governing,” he concluded.
