Former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allegedly using propaganda as a tool for governance, particularly in matters relating to the federal budget and loan requests.
In an interview with the BBC Hausa program ‘Gane Mini Hanya’, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain expressed concern over what he described as a lack of transparency in Tinubu’s administration. Lamido questioned the government’s financial claims, citing discrepancies in its budgetary arithmetic.
“If Nigerians are being told the truth, then there is nothing wrong with that,” Lamido said. “But how can a government that budgeted N30 trillion, generated N50 trillion, and allegedly has a surplus of N20 trillion still request loans? It doesn’t add up.”
The former Minister of Foreign Affairs accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of following a propagandist approach pioneered by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He alleged that this strategy aims to conceal the country’s true situation from its citizens, a departure from the transparency seen during PDP administrations.
“Under the PDP, governance was open and transparent for all Nigerians to see,” Lamido asserted. “But since Buhari’s era, deception and propaganda have become tools of governance.”
Lamido also lamented what he described as the “recklessness and selfishness” of the current administration, which he argued has left Nigerians in the dark about the country’s affairs. He further criticized those defending the APC online despite widespread criticism of the party.
“Visit social media and you’ll see APC being called a calamity, yet some people still defend it,” he said.
Lamido’s comments come amid rising scrutiny of Tinubu’s economic policies, particularly the administration’s borrowing spree, which has drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians.
