Nigeria’s hardship result of bad leadership, says Afenifere factional leader

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has said the economic hardship and insecurity facing Nigerians are the direct result of wrong leadership choices and anti-people policies, stressing that the country needs a change of government.

The leader of the group, Oladipo Olaitan, stated this on Saturday in Bauchi while delivering a goodwill message at the presidential primary election of the Social Democratic Party.

Olaitan said Nigeria was currently at a crossroads, lamenting the worsening insecurity, unemployment, poverty and rising cost of living across the country.

According to him, Nigerians can no longer sleep with their eyes closed due to persistent banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal clashes.

“Nigeria is bleeding. The nation is at a crossroads. Our people can no longer sleep with their eyes closed because of insecurity, banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and communal clashes,” he said.

He added that the economic situation had become unbearable for ordinary citizens, noting that food prices had risen beyond the reach of average families while many youths remain unemployed.

“The suffering of Nigerians is not an act of God. It is the direct result of wrong choices and economic policies that put market forces and profit above the welfare of the people,” Olaitan stated.

The Afenifere leader also accused the government of weakening opposition parties and undermining the multi-party democratic system.

“As we are all aware, governments break identifiable opposition into factions and fragments, thereby destroying the very basis of the multi-party system. We must unite to keep democracy alive,” he said.

Olaitan maintained that the real division in Nigeria was not ethnic or religious, but between the ruling class and ordinary citizens facing hardship.

“The contradiction is not between North and South or between religions. It is between the government and the masses of Nigerian people who are subjected to avoidable hardship and grinding poverty,” he added.

He called for a shift toward people-centred economic policies that would create jobs, support local industries, improve infrastructure, and ensure affordable healthcare and education.

“We must return to a people-centred economy where government actively creates jobs, supports local and cottage industries, revives railways, provides affordable education, housing, and healthcare, and protects the vulnerable,” he said.

Olaitan described the SDP as a party founded on social justice, equity and concern for the masses, urging delegates to elect leaders capable of restoring hope and dignity to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections.

“This country belongs to all of us, and together we must build a Nigeria where every citizen can live in peace and prosperity,” he said.