The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the National Assembly, accusing both of driving Nigeria toward economic collapse through what it described as a reckless “borrow-and-burn” fiscal regime.
In a hard-hitting statement issued Sunday in Abuja, by the national coordinator of the rights group Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko alleged that the Federal Government’s aggressive borrowing, coupled with what it called the legislature’s “rubber-stamp approval culture,” has deepened poverty, worsened infrastructure decay, and plunged millions of Nigerians into hardship without any measurable gains.
HURIWA said the country is witnessing “not governance, but economic sabotage,” arguing that billions of naira borrowed in the name of reforms have failed to translate into improved living conditions.
The group expressed outrage that despite mounting debts since Tinubu assumed office in 2023, Nigerians continue to grapple with rising inflation, unemployment, and declining purchasing power.
Particularly troubling, according to the group, is the recent approval of over $2 billion—about ₦3.3 trillion—for the power sector, which it described as “another potential black hole of public funds.”
HURIWA noted that across major cities, including Abuja, erratic electricity supply persists, with small businesses bearing the brunt of repeated grid failures and unstable power distribution.
“Where is the electricity?” the group queried, warning that continuous financial bailouts without structural reforms in the sector would only perpetuate inefficiency and deepen fiscal waste.
It argued that without addressing systemic issues such as poor metering, weak transmission infrastructure, and tariff inconsistencies, the intervention risks becoming yet another conduit for financial opacity.
The association further raised alarm over Nigeria’s rising debt profile, which it put at ₦159.28 trillion as of December 2025, describing it as “a ticking time bomb” that threatens future generations.
Citing warnings from international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), HURIWA accused the Tinubu administration of ignoring calls for fiscal discipline and sustainable debt management.
The group also alluded to internal tensions within the government, including controversies surrounding the reported exit of former Finance Minister Wale Edun, suggesting that disagreements over fiscal policy may be fueling instability at the highest levels of economic management.
HURIWA did not spare the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of abandoning their constitutional responsibility to check executive excesses.
It said the routine approval of loan requests without detailed scrutiny, public debate, or accountability frameworks amounts to a betrayal of public trust.
The group demanded full disclosure of all loan agreements, an independent audit of funds disbursed since 2023, and an immediate halt to further borrowing pending a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s debt sustainability.
It also called for urgent legislative hearings to investigate the effectiveness of past loans and ensure that those responsible for mismanagement are held accountable.
“Nigeria cannot borrow its way out of incompetence. Nigeria cannot spend its way out of corruption,” the statement said, warning that the country’s current fiscal trajectory is unsustainable.
HURIWA insisted that unless urgent corrective measures are taken, Nigeria risks sliding deeper into economic instability, with dire consequences for citizens already struggling under mounting economic pressure.
The group vowed to continue holding the government accountable, declaring that silence in the face of what it described as “fiscal recklessness” would amount to complicity.
HURIWA blasts Tinubu, NASD over ‘borrow-and-burn’ economy, debt fears
