By Juliet Aliwo
Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, has harshly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, labeling the past two years as a “disaster.” In an interview with Vanguard, she asserted that Tinubu’s tenure has merely continued the failures of the previous administration under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Bucknor-Akerele expressed deep concern over the dire economic conditions facing Nigerians, emphasizing that many citizens are struggling to meet their basic needs. “I believe the last two years have been a disaster. The eight years before were also a disaster. Tinubu’s administration has just come to build on that disaster,” she stated.
She recounted distressing personal accounts of individuals reaching out for help, highlighting the severity of the situation: “Just before I came down to meet you, someone called me saying: ‘Mama, please send me some money, I have no food to eat.’ I receive calls like that every day. It’s not just about wanting money; it’s a genuine cry for help. You can see the impact—people are emaciated, they have lost weight because they are not eating properly. This is not the kind of government that Nigeria needs.”
When asked about her relationship with Tinubu, Bucknor-Akerele clarified that she had never been in conflict with him but was standing her ground against his attempts to dominate the political party they had founded together. “I was never fighting with anybody. I was just standing my ground because he wanted to take over the party that we formed. We had even established the party before he returned from his so-called exile,” she explained.
Reflecting on the current composition of the National Assembly, Bucknor-Akerele lamented the decline in the quality of leadership, stating, “The caliber of people in the Senate now is not comparable to those who served when I was there. We had dedicated individuals, many of whom were professionals and self-made before entering the Senate. Now, many are career politicians who rely solely on politics for their livelihood, which has made a significant difference in the quality of governance.”
Her comments come at a time when public discontent is rising over economic hardships, insecurity, and governance issues in Nigeria. As citizens continue to grapple with the fallout from previous administrations, Bucknor-Akerele’s critique serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for effective leadership and accountability in the nation’s political landscape.
