Tinubu’s ‘vicious policies’ responsible for rising hardship – David Mark

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of implementing what it described as “needlessly vicious policies” under President Bola Tinubu, saying the decisions have plunged Nigerians deeper into hardship and poverty.

The National Chairman of the ADC and former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, made the allegation on Monday in Abuja while inaugurating the party’s 50-member Policy and Manifesto Committee at its national headquarters.

Mark lamented that despite repeated government assurances, Nigerians were experiencing worsening living conditions, driven by rising taxes, insecurity, and declining purchasing power.

According to him, while hardship had always existed in Nigeria, the situation had become more severe under the current APC administration.

“Nigerians are suffering today, perhaps more than at any other time in our history. Poverty stares us in the face,” Mark said.

“Yes, hardship and poverty have always existed, but the hardship Nigerians are experiencing under the APC administration has clearly worsened. This situation has been brought about and compounded by government’s needlessly vicious policies.”

He noted that Nigerians were not looking for excuses or rhetoric, but for practical, compassionate and people-oriented policies that address their immediate realities and secure their future.

Mark stressed that insecurity had continued to disrupt social and economic life across the country, warning that no nation could grow its economy without first guaranteeing the safety of its citizens.

“A country that cannot secure its people cannot grow its economy, no matter how impressive its plans appear on paper,” he said.

The former senate president further criticised rising food prices, worsening power supply despite increased tariffs, and what he described as an aggressive tax regime that continued to burden already struggling citizens.

“Families are working harder and earning less. Food prices are rising faster than wages can cope with. Power supply remains epileptic even as tariffs increase astronomically, while the APC government continues to aggravate citizens’ tax burdens,” he added.

Mark argued that Nigerians already knew who was responsible for their suffering and were now more concerned about who could ease the pain, insisting that the ADC represented a credible alternative.

“They are not looking for clever arguments. They want solutions that show government understands what they are going through and is prepared to act with clarity, courage and compassion,” he said.

He also criticised Nigeria’s policy culture, describing it as largely detached from reality and disconnected from the everyday struggles of citizens.

“Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of ideas. What we suffer from is a failure to connect ideas to reality. Policies are often treated as academic exercises, while nothing changes in the lives of the people,” Mark stated.

He warned against measuring economic progress solely by statistics, insisting that growth figures were meaningless if they did not translate into improved living standards.

“A growing economy that leaves the majority behind in poverty is fundamentally flawed. Economic progress must be measured by its impact on people’s lives, not by statistics alone,” he said.

The Policy and Manifesto Committee is chaired by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a former National Chairman of the APC and ex-Governor of Edo State, and is made up of eminent Nigerians drawn from different sectors.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Odigie-Oyegun assured party members that the team would develop a manifesto anchored on clarity, inclusiveness and simplicity, capable of resonating with ordinary Nigerians.

“We will ensure that the path clearly enunciated by the party leadership becomes the guiding principle of our work,” he said.

He added that the committee would present policies in language that ordinary Nigerians could understand and relate to, noting that a people-focused manifesto could change the dynamics of Nigerian politics.

Very Nigerian

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