Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of nepotism and worsening hardship in the country through its policies.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Lawal said he has no regrets about not being part of Tinubu’s government, claiming that if he had joined, he would have either been sacked, killed, or forced to resign. “I thank God that I didn’t make the mistake of being in this government ab initio,” he said.
Now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lawal accused Tinubu of appointing mostly people from his own region and tribe. He went further to criticise what he described as an ungrateful attitude among some Yoruba politicians, claiming they sideline others after getting into power.
“I cannot go to a meeting in which 99 per cent of the participants are Yoruba. They finish the meeting in their language, and I’m just sitting there,” he recounted. He also recalled tensions during Tinubu’s campaign, saying some of his Yoruba allies insulted northerners, calling them illiterate, despite needing their votes. “The problem with the Yoruba is that when you support them and they win, they behave as if they have subdued you. They will not count your support,” he said.
Lawal also faulted the government’s fuel subsidy removal, arguing that it has plunged more Nigerians into poverty without delivering promised benefits. He accused the administration of secretly continuing subsidy payments despite publicly declaring an end to them.
