The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged the Federal Government to acknowledge shortcomings in its assessment of the impact of economic reforms and provide clear timelines for improving Nigerians’ living conditions.
The forum’s Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, made the call during an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, arguing that the administration should admit where its impact assessments fell short and explain how it intends to ease the hardship facing citizens.
“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 criticised the government’s repeated justification of the reforms, saying assurances that current hardship would eventually give way to better conditions did not adequately address the difficulties Nigerians were experiencing.
“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 pointed to declining purchasing power, rising living costs, rent, building materials, transportation and electricity expenses as indicators of the pressure on households. He also cited poor road conditions and persistent insecurity as major concerns.
The ACF spokesman questioned whether the administration had conducted sufficient due diligence on the economic and social conditions of Nigerians before introducing the reforms.
“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 asked.
ACF Wants Measurable Targets
Mohammed-Baba said the government should move beyond asking Nigerians for more time and instead set measurable targets that would allow citizens to assess its performance.
“When you say ‘more time,’ just how much more time do you need?” he asked.
He urged the administration to establish specific milestones for delivering improvements over successive years.
“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.
According to him, the government could introduce measures within three months to reduce the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
“Three months is enough time, I think, to put in place certain measures that will ameliorate the sufferings of people,” he said.
He also called for more direct communication from the administration, urging it to acknowledge the difficulties facing citizens and demonstrate a clear commitment to addressing them.
“The administration should be open and direct with the people,” he said, adding that the government should show through its actions and the living standards of its officials that it was willing to share the sacrifices demanded of Nigerians.
Mohammed-Baba described the disparity between the hardship borne by citizens and the conduct of government officials as shameful.
ACF Outlines Position Ahead of 2027 Elections
On the 2027 general elections, Mohammed-Baba said the ACF would support 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 forum would continue to advocate fairness and equity in governance, expressing concern that progress in these areas remained limited.
Mohammed-Baba also urged political leaders to make realistic promises and focus on commitments they could 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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