The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has criticised the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, for allegedly prioritising President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election prospects over the worsening economic hardship confronting millions of Nigerians.
HURIWA challenged Oyedele to stop acting as a political promoter for the President and concentrate on addressing soaring living costs, expensive petrol, declining purchasing power and rising poverty.
In a statement on Sunday, signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the association said Nigerians needed practical economic solutions rather than projections about Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term.
It insisted that international investors could not determine Nigeria’s political future, stressing that the power to elect the next president belonged to Nigerians.
HURIWA also questioned the government’s borrowing and spending priorities, demanding transparency over loans, the projects they finance and the benefits they deliver to citizens.
Citing concerns raised by economic commentator Dele Oye in The Guardian on May 25, 2026, the association warned that borrowing without measurable improvements in public welfare could burden future generations.
On petrol subsidy, HURIWA argued that properly designed public support programmes could protect vulnerable households from economic shocks.
It maintained that corruption, waste and poor oversight, rather than subsidies themselves, were the fundamental problems that government must address.
The association also cited Professor Pat Utomi’s criticism of the government’s handling of petrol prices and wages, published by TheCable on October 16, 2026.
Utomi had questioned the President’s response to widespread hardship, asking: “But does the President care? How does he even sleep at night, knowing that millions of Nigerians are struggling to survive in a country blessed with abundant natural resources?”
HURIWA urged Oyedele to focus on reducing living costs, creating jobs, restoring purchasing power and ensuring that public revenue translates into tangible benefits.
It warned that economic reforms should be measured by improvements in citizens’ lives, not international investors’ expectations about Tinubu’s political future.