Babachir Lawal Says He Couldn’t Work Under Tinubu, Slams Governance Style
By IDNN Politics Desk
ABUJA — Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying he could never work under its current style of governance — a stance that has sparked intense debate as the Babachir Lawal Tinubu criticism trends nationwide.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Lawal said that if he had been appointed to Tinubu’s cabinet, he would have resigned almost immediately.
“I thank God that I didn’t make the mistake of being in this government ab initio. If I were in this government, I probably would have been sacked a long time ago, killed, or resigned,” he stated.
Lawal accused the government of nepotism, claiming that critical meetings are dominated almost entirely by Yoruba appointees. “I cannot go to a meeting in which 99 per cent of the participants are Yoruba. The tendency is that they finish the meeting in their language, and I am just sitting there,” he said, recalling campaign moments when northerners were derided as illiterate.
On economic policy, the former SGF was scathing. He condemned the 2023 removal of fuel subsidy, saying Nigerians have yet to see any benefits and alleging the government is still covertly funding the subsidy despite Tinubu’s public declaration. He also decried surging inflation and the economic hardship facing ordinary Nigerians.
Turning to politics, Lawal accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of rigging the 2023 presidential election. When asked who he believed won, he answered: “Peter Obi won that election.”
Lawal, who has been a consistent critic of the Tinubu presidency, framed his position as one grounded in both moral and political principle.
“The problem with the Yoruba is that when you support them and they win, they behave as if they have subdued you,” he remarked.
His comments have drawn mixed reactions — with opposition supporters amplifying his statements and APC loyalists accusing him of bitterness over political differences.
This is IDNN. Independent. Digital. Uncompromising.
