21 February, 2026
by Mohammed Bello Doka
As a Nigerian citizen enduring the unrelenting grip of hardship in Abuja, where the dusty harmattan winds carry the weight of unfulfilled promises and the streets echo with the cries of the destitute, I cannot remain silent. On February 18, 2026, during the opening of the 2026 Ramadan Tafsir at the State House Mosque in Abuja—as reported by Punch Newspapers, TheCable, and the official State House press release—President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stood before the nation and pleaded, "If I have sinned, forgive me as Nigerians." His words, cloaked in the sanctity of Ramadan, sought mercy in a time when Muslims and Christians alike observe periods of reflection, fasting, and forgiveness. But Mr. President, forgiveness is not mine to grant alone; it belongs to the millions you have plunged into despair. And as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed in a hadith narrated by Muslim and reported in Sahih Muslim 4569: "O Allah! When a person who is placed in authority over my Ummah is strict with them, be Thou also strict with him, and when such a person is kind to them, be Thou also kind to him." This divine invocation hangs over your leadership like a sword of Damocles, reminding us that Allah's justice is swift for those who wield power unjustly.
I am Bello, a father, a worker, a believer, watching my family scrape by in Abuja while the elite feast on the nation's dwindling resources. Your plea tugs at my heart, evoking the emotional turmoil of a people betrayed. How can I forgive when the scars run so deep? You ascended to power on May 29, 2023, amid fanfare and promises of "Renewed Hope." Yet, on that very inauguration day, you declared the removal of fuel subsidies, a policy that, according to the World Bank in its May 12, 2025 report, triggered Nigeria's worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Petrol prices skyrocketed from N254 per liter in May 2023 to N671 by December 2023, as detailed in the African Development Bank's Nigeria Economic Outlook. Electricity subsidies followed suit, with tariffs hiking dramatically—households now pay up to 240% more, per the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission's announcements in April 2024. Taxes ballooned: value-added tax proposals jumped, excise duties on beverages and tobacco rose, and new levies on digital services burdened the already strained middle class.
Then came the floating of the Naira in June 2023, a move hailed by your administration as bold reform but decried by economists like those at PwC in their January 3, 2026 Nigeria Economic Outlook as a catalyst for economic turmoil. The currency depreciated by 95.6% in 2023 alone, per the AfDB report, turning imports into luxuries and everyday essentials into unattainable dreams. These policies, Mr. President, were not mere adjustments; they were seismic shocks that shattered lives. Inflation surged to an annual average of 31% in 2024, driven by Naira depreciation, food supply deficits, and subsidy removals, as outlined in the IMF's July 2, 2025 Article IV Consultation for Nigeria. By November 2025, headline inflation had eased to 14.45% after eight months of decline, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data released in December 2025—but this "easing" masks the irreversible damage. Food inflation, which peaked above 30% before dropping to 11.08% in November 2025 (NBS), has left families like mine rationing meals, with staples like rice and beans costing double what they did pre-2023.
The human toll is heartbreaking. Poverty rates climbed to 61% in 2025 from 59% in 2024, per PwC's 2026 Economic Outlook, projecting a grim 62% by 2026—affecting over 141 million Nigerians, as highlighted in Peoples Gazette on January 9, 2026. Unemployment hovered at 31% in 2025, per S&P Global Ratings' November 14, 2025 update, with per-capita growth languishing at a meager 1.3%. Thirty million Nigerians were thrust into poverty in your first year alone, as energy consultant Olarinre Salako stated in TheCable on October 2, 2025, directly blaming subsidy removal and Naira float. Food insecurity gripped 31 million people in 2024, per the IMF report, with multidimensional poverty at 63% (AfDB). In Abuja, I see it daily: children dropping out of school because parents can't afford fees amid rising costs; mothers skipping meals to feed their young; fathers, once proud providers, reduced to begging on the streets of the capital city that yields no prosperity for the common man. GDP growth inched to 3.98% in Q3 2025 (NBS), but what good is "growth" when it bypasses the masses? Reuters on May 29, 2025, captured the anguish: inflation over 23%, high fuel and food prices sparking nationwide frustration.
And the hardships have only intensified in the last year. Going forward from 2025 into 2026, your administration's fiscal policies have compounded the agony. Ministries crucial to national development—those meant to alleviate suffering—have been starved of funds. Take the Ministry of Interior, under Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo: zero capital releases for both 2024 and 2025, as he testified before the National Assembly on February 17, 2026, per Punch Newspapers and Parliament Reports. No funds disbursed from approved allocations, halting immigration reforms, correctional services upgrades, and paramilitary infrastructure—projects that could secure borders and create jobs. Adams Oshiomhole, Senate Committee Chairman, decried it as "unacceptable," but the damage is done: stalled progress amid rising insecurity.
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, led by Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, fared no better. Out of N218 billion appropriated for headquarters' capital projects in 2025, only N36 million was released—0.0165%—as revealed during budget defense on February 9, 2026, via Premium Times and Dubawa's fact-check. This paltry sum, unutilized due to bureaucratic delays from the Accountant-General's office, crippled equipment procurement, hospital expansions, and healthcare delivery. In a nation where 31 million face food insecurity (IMF 2025), how many died from preventable diseases because funds sat idle? The Ministry of Transportation, under Sa'idu Ahmed Alkali, received a mere N2.5 billion out of N256.73 billion (1%) for 2025, forcing 70% of rail, road, and maritime projects to rollover, per TheCable and Punch on February 2026 reports.
Solid Minerals Development Minister Dele Alake reported zero releases from N865.06 billion in 2025, stalling exploration and diversification, as told to lawmakers on February 17, 2026 (ThisDay). Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu: zero from N531 billion, darkening homes in a gas-rich nation, per BusinessDay on February 19, 2026. Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi: zero capital funding, undermining reforms (Daily Post, February 2026). Defence under General Christopher Gwabin Musa: zero for 2025, amid banditry and kidnappings, as Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno criticized on February 2026 (S&P Global). Women Affairs Minister Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim: only N394.8 million from N89.8 billion (0.44%), called "abysmal" by lawmakers (The Whistler, February 16, 2026).
This fiscal starvation—70% of 2025 capital deferred to 2026, per Punch on February 20, 2026—contrasts sharply with your administration's extravagance. While ministries beg for crumbs, the Presidency lavished N34.39 billion on foreign exchange for international trips in 2024-2025 alone, per Punch on February 2, 2026. You, Mr. President, have undertaken 47 foreign trips across 28 countries, spending 245 days abroad since May 2023—over eight months—as detailed in Punch's February 8, 2026 analysis. Vice President Shettima added 22 trips, totaling 69 engagements in 35 countries, 315 days combined. Costs? N2.3 billion in your first six months (Guardian, August 21, 2024), escalating to billions more. Specifics: N1.04 billion for your Ethiopia trip, N750 million for Dubai, N426.88 million for Shettima's Switzerland visit—all in 2024 forex purchases (Punch, February 2, 2026).
Domestically, opulence abounds. The 2026 budget proposes N3.3 billion for presidential vehicles: N2.5 billion for new operational cars, N758 million for SUV replacements, N115 million for tires on bullet-proof vehicles and trucks (Punch, February 2026, from December 2025 Appropriation Bill). State House gets N43.19 billion overall (Vanguard, January 10, 2026). Senate's luxury: N57.6 billion for 360 SUVs in 2023 (Instagram reports, 2025). First Lady's office: N1.5 billion for vehicles in supplementary budget (Instagram, 2025). Your 2026 travel budget: N6.14 billion for foreign trips, N873.88 million local—total N7.01 billion; Shettima's N1.31 billion foreign, N417.48 million local (Vanguard, January 10, 2026; Leadership, 2026). N12.2 billion combined for trips and aides (Vanguard).
Meanwhile, the masses suffer. In Abuja, luxury convoys speed past while families queue for fuel at inflated prices. Inflation eroded incomes: middle class slipping into poverty, per Sundiata Post on December 15, 2025. Unemployment at 31% means youth idle, vulnerable to crime. Poverty at 61%: families like mine choose between food and medicine. DW on May 29, 2025: "cost-of-living crisis" from your reforms. Reuters: "persistently high inflation in remains a challenge."
Mr. President, you know if you've been just and fair—or otherwise. As Ramadan calls for mercy, I pray: May Allah treat you as you have treated us poor Nigerians, who cannot fight for our rights. Extend this to every authority holder making life harder. Forgiveness? Only if repentance brings relief. Until then, your plea rings hollow amid our tears.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
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