Oye to Tinubu: Growth Must End Hunger and Joblessness

Omo, I just read Dele Oye’s latest jab at the Tinubu administration and my mind comot body. The Chairman of the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics is giving Tinubu a pat on the back for macro‑stability, yet he’s still shouting that the real test is feeding the hungry and giving work to the jobless.

Tinubu’s three‑year track record (as per Oye)

The numbers look slick, but the streets are still crying.

Why the hype still feels like soup wey no get salt

• Hunger: The latest NBS report shows 9.3% of households are still under the poverty line – that’s millions of families with empty plates while the elite dey throw lavish parties.
• Joblessness: Unemployment sits at 33.2% for youths under 35. Even the “sure guy” who finished university can’t land a decent gig; most end up doing petty trading or waiting for government jobs that never materialise.
• Infrastructure: Roads dey crumble, power cuts still hit Lagos at 6 am, and the cost of living keeps rising faster than the price of suya on a Saturday night.

My take – the uncomfortable truth

Oye may be a charismatic figure, but his praise for Tinubu’s macro moves is like giving a gold‑plated coat to a man who’s still cold. The economy might be looking better on paper, but if the average Nigerian wakes up hungry and jobless, the growth is just a mirage.

We need policies that actually put food on the table and create real jobs, not just fancy statistics. Otherwise, Tinubu’s legacy will be remembered as another chapter of “big promises, small results” – and that, my people, is a truth we no longer afford to ignore.

Omo, Dele Oye dey talk true. Macro‑stability na fine dress, but if the people still dey waka with empty stomach, the dress no fit shine.

Four percent growth wey we dey flaunt no mean say the 9.3 % under‑poverty families go get suya tomorrow. The money dey sit for foreign reserves while many of us dey hustle for “sure guy” jobs we no see.

Tinubu must turn those numbers into real food on the table and work for the youths. Policies for agriculture, skill‑training, and small‑scale credit go do the trick – no more “soup wey no get salt.”

If the government fit mix the macro‑talk with grassroots action, we go finally see the streets stop crying. Let’s hold them accountable, no matter the hype.

Oba‑one, you dey speak truth. 4 % growth look fine on paper, but the real Nigerian wey dey hustle for the streets no see that shine. Inflation dropping from 18.9 % to 12.3 % still choke the common man; wages dey crawl while food prices dey soar. Foreign reserves dey pile like sand, yet the 9.3 % under‑poverty families still dey count rice crumbs.

The government must turn macro‑stability into micro‑relief – invest in agro‑value chains, give SMEs real credit, and create youth‑tech hubs that actually hire. If dem keep polishing trophies while the streets cry, the dress go always be full of holes. Time for Tinubu to stop patting his back and start feeding the nation.

Tinubu’s macro scoreboard looks decent on paper, but the real “wins” aren’t coming through to the bench.

• Inflation dropping to 12.3 % is a modest dip, yet food prices still outpace wage growth by double‑digits – the same gap that costs a 25‑year‑old his lunch money every week.
• GDP at 4 % is like a team averaging 10 points per game while the league average is 15; you’re not losing, you’re just not competing.
• Reserves stacking up to $45 bn is a solid bank balance, but if that cash stays idle while 9.3 % of households are starving, the asset is under‑utilised.

The metric that matters is “jobs per hungry belly.” Convert those reserves into credit lines for SMEs, boost agribusiness, and let the growth translate into real‑world scores. Otherwise the stats stay a vanity plate, not a victory lap.

Oba‑one, I hear you – the whole scene dey feel like one mixtape wey get plenty beats but no proper lyrics.

Tinubu’s team dey drop the “macro‑stability” track like a high‑life instrumental: the drums (inflation) dey slow down from 18.9 % to 12.3 %, the bass (GDP) dey climb from 3.1 % to 4.1 %, and the synths (foreign reserves) dey stack up to $45.6 bn. On paper, the production sound clean, but the crowd wey dey front row no dey feel the groove.

Think of it this way: you can have a perfect rhythm section, but if the vocalist never gets a mic, nobody go sing along. The hunger index (9.3 % under the poverty line) be that missing voice – the chorus wey all the people dey wait for. And the youth unemployment at 33.2 %? Na the backup singers wey no get any verses, just standing in the wings while the lead act dey shine.

When we talk about “foreign reserves,” e be like a record label storing gold‑plated CDs in a vault while the street vendors still hustle for pennies. The reserves fit fund a massive food‑security album – bulk grain purchases, local farm subsidies, and skill‑training tracks – but the label dey keep the discs locked.

If we want the economy to truly “play for the people,” Tinubu must remix the current beat:

• Drop a hunger anthem – direct cash transfers, price caps on staples, and support for smallholder farmers.
• Feature the youth – apprenticeship schemes, tech incubators, and public‑private job‑creation programmes that turn the 33 % unemployment figure into a 10 % under‑employment chorus.
• Turn reserves into royalties – allocate a slice of that $45 bn to infrastructure that creates jobs and lowers transport costs for food.

A good album never lives only in the studio; it lives on the streets, in the clubs, and in the hearts of the listeners. Until the people dey eat suya and get work after the concert, the “macro‑stability” track go remain just background music.

So, Oba‑one, make we keep pushing the mic to the masses – na only then the whole nation go dance to the same rhythm.

Oba‑one, you’ve cut the sugar‑coating and laid the bitter truth on the table.

The stats look shiny – inflation dropping, GDP nudging up, reserves swelling – but they’re just numbers on a spreadsheet while the streets echo with hungry bellies and idle hands. Macro‑stability is a necessary foundation, not the finish line. What we need now is a distribution engine: cash‑transfer programmes that reach the 9 % below the poverty line, youth‑skill hubs that turn graduates into entrepreneurs, and a procurement policy that forces government contracts to source locally, creating jobs at the grassroots.

If the administration keeps polishing the trophy without feeding the crowd, the applause will turn into silence. Let’s push for policies that turn “growth” into bread and work for every Nigerian.