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Experts Dismiss Tinubu’s Economic Team As Flawed
Some economic experts have picked holes in the composition of the economic team set up by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as flawed.
Tinubu, on Wednesday, approved the establishment of the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC) and the Economic Management Team Emergency Taskforce (EET) to tackle the prevailing economic challenges in the country.
The PECC is made up of President Bola Tinubu as Chairman and Vice President Kashim Shettima as Vice Chairman.
Other members are, President of the Nigerian Senate, Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other relevant Ministers.
The council will also have some members of the organized private sector, joining for a period not exceeding one (1) year, subject to the President’s directive
They are Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr. Tony Elumelu, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Ms. Amina Maina, Mr. Begun Ajayi-Kadir among others.
But economic experts who spoke with Daily Trust on Thursday said the composition was flawed, saying it was composed of stakeholders with vested interests.
A Professor of Economics and the Director, Centre for Economic Policy Analysis and Research, at the University of Lagos, Ndubisi Nwokoma, argued that a professional body such as the Nigeria Economic Society would have made a greater impact in the committee.
He said: “The composition of that team is somewhat flawed because these are stakeholders who all have interest in the economy. If you bring in people who have interest, they would protect their own interest; they would protect their own businesses.
“They would be thinking of policies that actually would favour them, nobody would go into a discussion that would work against him.
“I think bringing professional bodies like the Nigerian Economic Society, these are purely intellectuals, people that don’t have any stake who are not business men, who are just looking at the contextual issues and looking at the direction of government and find out where the government ought to take the economy to and what should be done to get there.”
He expressed concern that the country’s economy has been consumption based, saying: “In terms of where the economy should go, I think fundamentally we have gotten it wrong as a country, I think we need to look at the fundamental issues in terms of the structure of the economy.”
Also speaking, Professor Adeola Adenikinju of the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan and Vice President of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) while hailing the composition of the committee as timely, however raised issues with its composition.
According to him, the committee is composed of largely government assisted people, who are going to benefit from the expected policies they are coming up with.
“Every government needs to have a body of experts to advise them on the efficacy of policies put in place and what are the new policies to ensure the economy works better.
“In terms of the composition, the intellectuals, the experts who are working in this area are not there. What you see are largely government assisted people who are interested in one contract or the other. So they are not going to be neutral in terms of the advice they are going to give. There is a likelihood that they would want to protect their interest. You don’t have lecturers; you don’t have the Nigerian Economic Society, who are on the intellectual side of the society,” he submitted.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has withdrawn from the case filed by the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against the leadership of the senate.
Justice Egwuatu, recused himself from the matter on Tuesday after lawyers to the parties in the suit announced their appearances.
He said he was stepping down from the matter because of the petition written by Senate President Godswilll Akpabio, alleging he was biased.
The presiding judge said he would will return the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, so the matter could be reassigned to another judge.
Justice Egwuatu had on March 4, given an an interim order that stopping the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from going ahead with the disciplinary proceedings started against t Akpoti-Uduaghan who was alleged to have broken senate rules.
The judge gave the senate leadership 72 hours to show cause why it should not issue an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from probing the plaintiff for alleged misconduct, without affording her the privileges stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
But the Senate Committee still went ahead to hold its sitting where it recommended Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months suspension.
However, the judge later amended the interim order by vacating the aspect that stopped the Senate from from taking any action pending the outcome of the suit.
By Eric Elezuo
Following the pronouncement of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the winner of the 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize, President Bola Tinubu has sent his hearty congratulations.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President acknowledged Jonathan’s pro-democracy stand, and efforts across the globe to sustain democratic principles. He noted that Jonathan has been a consistent advocate for “peace, harmony, and communality, a patriotic endeavour that has earned him global recognition”.
While thanking the organizers of the Prize for recognizing the ‘efforts of those working hard to improve the world’, he recalled Jonathan’s 2015 act of single-handedly supervising the transition of power to an opposition government, stressing that “it bolstered the nation’s democratic profile”.
The statement in details:
“President Bola Tinubu congratulates former President Goodluck Jonathan on winning the 2025 Sunhak Peace Founders’ Award.
“President Tinubu applauds the former President for his consistent advocacy for peace, harmony, and communality, a patriotic endeavour that has earned him global recognition.
“The President states that Dr Jonathan’s winning the Sunhak Peace Award affirms his bold efforts in peacebuilding and promoting democracy in Africa and beyond.
“The President recalls the former President’s historic acceptance of the results of the 2015 presidential election and his peaceful handover of power to an opposition party, which bolstered the nation’s democratic profile.
“President Tinubu celebrates this landmark achievement with former President Jonathan and thanks the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee for recognising the efforts of those working hard to improve the world.”
The Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) of Nigeria has criticised the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, for alleging that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is connected to militant activities in the Niger Delta.
The group described the claims as baseless and lacking credible evidence.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, addressed remarks made by Fagbemi last week, accusing Fubara of “tele-guiding militants” to sabotage oil installations.
Onanuga, in a separate opinion piece, supported the Federal government’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing intelligence reports suggesting militant threats linked to the governor.
“These are serious allegations that can destabilise not only Rivers State but the entire Niger Delta, yet no concrete evidence has been made public to substantiate them,” Onwubiko said, faulting the officials’ reliance on unverified intelligence.
HURIWA highlighted Governor Fubara’s denial of the allegations in an official statement earlier on Monday, where he rejected any ties to militant groups and labeled viral videos alleging explosions on oil and gas facilities in Rivers State as “fake and malicious.”
The group praised Fubara’s call for security agencies to investigate the videos’ origins and prosecute those responsible.
“Governor Fubara’s insistence on peace and constitutional governance has been clear in all his public engagements. It is disheartening to see such character assassination being perpetuated from the highest levels of the federal government,” Onwubiko stated.
The association questioned why federal authorities have not presented tangible evidence if it exists, arguing, “As far as we are concerned, the dissemination of these unproven claims is not just unprofessional but a dangerous precedent in the democratic space.”
HURIWA also challenged Fagbemi and Onanuga to avoid “pettiness and rumour mongering,” urging them to base their statements on facts.
“It is disgraceful that at a time when Nigerians are yearning for stability and good governance, top officials of the federal government are busy engaging in baseless accusations, further tarnishing Nigeria’s image before the international community,” the statement added.
The group further criticized the state of emergency in Rivers State as “unconstitutional, unnecessary, and politically motivated,” asserting that no evidence of war or a breakdown of law and order, as required by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, has been shown.
“The AGF and other federal agents must be reminded that the Supreme Court judgment, which is now being used to justify executive overreach in Rivers State, does not license rumour-based governance,” HURIWA noted.
HURIWA urged Fubara to pursue legal action against those making the claims, stating, “even if the judiciary is seen by some as compromised, it is essential to set the record straight by taking advantage of available legal avenues.”
The association called on security agencies to launch a transparent forensic investigation into the allegations and incidents in Ogoniland and other parts of Rivers State, insisting it must remain free of political interference.
“The dangerous game of labeling peaceful citizens as militants without evidence is not only reckless but risks plunging Rivers State into avoidable chaos. Nigeria’s democracy deserves better,” the group concluded.
