Abdulkareem Musa, a lawyer and spokesperson for the Omoyele Sowore-Magashi Campaign of the African Action Congress (AAC), has dismissed the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government’s 90-day economic action plan, describing it as a political strategy aimed at securing votes in the 2027 presidential election rather than a credible solution to the worsening economic hardship facing Nigerians.
Musa made the remarks while speaking on a News Central TV programme, where he questioned the effectiveness of a 90-day intervention after what he described as years of failed economic policies under the Tinubu administration.
He argued that the government could not reasonably expect Nigerians to trust a short-term economic plan after enduring years of rising living costs, worsening poverty and policies that have placed considerable financial pressure on households.
“What can a 90-day economic plan do? If the government has been in office for three or four years through failed economic policies, what will a 90-day economic plan do?” he asked.
The AAC campaign spokesperson maintained that the initiative was primarily political, insisting that the government’s interest was more closely tied to the 2027 elections than to addressing the economic realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.
“This policy, to me, is a political function. A political policy, to me, is a political function,” Musa said.
Responding to the government’s claim that the initiative would improve food affordability and provide regulated support for households and schools, he said he remained unconvinced that the programme was designed to deliver meaningful relief.
“I am very sure that there’s nothing this government can do to convince me that this is not a political arrangement to use Nigerians to get votes in the 2027 elections,” he said.
Musa also questioned the transparency and accountability mechanisms that would govern the distribution of the proposed relief, warning that the initiative could become another avenue for politicians to control public resources and distribute them through political networks.
“But if we want to do some assessment of the things they can do, what’s the transparency of this arrangement? Are we going to have a circle of arrangements where palliatives should be given to politicians to go and share in their districts? Because at the end of the day, that is what it is going to resort to,” he said.
He accused the administration of prioritising public relations over concrete measures to address poverty and the economic difficulties confronting millions of Nigerians.
“We have a government that is not tackling poverty and the challenges that Nigerian people have been bedevilled with; rather, they are concerned about making public PR over the plight of the Nigerian people,” Musa said.
He further demanded clarity on the eligibility criteria for beneficiaries, the process through which Nigerians would access the relief and the safeguards that would prevent political interference in its implementation.
“What is the transparency? What is the accessibility? Who are the people that will have access to these reliefs that they are claiming to give to Nigerians, and how do you determine who falls within that class?” he asked.
Musa warned that, without clear and verifiable procedures, the programme could be hijacked by members and stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who he alleged could distribute public resources among themselves and use the intervention to influence voters ahead of the next presidential election.
“At the end of the day, what we are going to see is that APC people and stakeholders are sharing the resources of the Nigerian people among themselves and using the resources of the Nigerian people to induce Nigerians to vote for them,” he said.
The criticism comes amid persistent concerns over Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis, with millions of households struggling to cope with high food prices, transport fares, energy costs and other essential expenses.
Although headline inflation has declined from its previous peak, the cost of basic necessities remains a major concern for households, while the naira’s weakness and rising business operating costs continue to put pressure on consumers and small businesses.
The removal of the petrol subsidy and other economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration have also contributed to increased living costs, particularly for low-income families. Many Nigerians have continued to question when the government’s economic measures will translate into tangible improvements in their daily lives.
Estimates cited by international institutions suggest that approximately 139 million Nigerians live below the national poverty line, while millions more remain vulnerable to falling into poverty as their purchasing power declines.
Youth unemployment and underemployment have also remained significant concerns, with households facing job losses, reduced business activity and difficulties meeting basic financial obligations.
For many Nigerians, the central question surrounding the government’s proposed 90-day plan is whether it will lead to measurable reductions in food prices, transport costs and school expenses or become another policy announcement with limited impact on household welfare.
The National Economic Council on Thursday endorsed the 90-day economic action plan, which is designed to reduce the cost of living, improve food affordability and attract investment across the country.
The proposal, presented by the Federal Ministry of Finance, received approval during the council’s 161st meeting, chaired virtually by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, the plan has five priority areas: food affordability, tax harmonisation, completion of high-impact projects, resolution of investment bottlenecks and regulated household support.
The council also approved the establishment of a national dashboard to monitor projects across the country, with a focus on transparency, accountability and public reporting on the utilisation of proceeds from the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The dashboard is intended to provide a mechanism for tracking government projects and monitoring how funds generated from the subsidy removal are being deployed.
However, Musa’s criticism reflects broader questions about public trust, the management of government relief programmes and whether the proposed intervention can deliver immediate benefits to Nigerians facing economic hardship.
With the 2027 general election approaching, the implementation of the plan is likely to attract increased public scrutiny, particularly over the selection of beneficiaries, the distribution of relief and the extent to which the initiative produces measurable improvements in living conditions.
For the Tinubu administration, the challenge will be to demonstrate that the 90-day programme can deliver tangible economic relief and that its implementation will be transparent, accountable and accessible to Nigerians who need support most.