Nigeria Infrastructure Decay: NNPP’s Olawale Ajadi criticises 26 years of Nigerian democracy, highlighting persistent issues like crumbling infrastructure and a depreciating naira, calling for urgent governmental action
A South-West chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has decried Nigeria’s continued infrastructural challenges and the declining value of the Naira despite 26 years of uninterrupted democratic rule.
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Ajadi, in a statement issued to mark this year’s Democracy Day on 12 June, urged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to urgently implement policies that would strengthen the Naira and prioritise infrastructure development across the country.
“Democracy should bring development, yet Nigeria appears worse off under successive democratic governments,” said Ajadi, a politician and entrepreneur. “We are losing our position as the Giant of Africa.”
Democracy Day is observed in honour of the late Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, adjudged the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history but annulled by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd).
It was officially recognised by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018.
Ajadi lamented that Nigeria’s economy, especially when compared with those of neighbouring West African nations such as Ghana and members of the CFA-using West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), reflects a troubling decline.
Ajadi also criticised the poor state of infrastructure nationwide, particularly the network of roads connecting the states. He called for immediate intervention at all levels of government.
He expressed particular concern about the plummeting value of the Naira, warning that it continues to fuel inflation, erode purchasing power, and worsen the cost of living for average Nigerians.
“As prices soar, Nigerians face deeper financial hardship. Entrepreneurs struggle to maintain production, and manufacturers are forced to pass rising costs to consumers,” he said.
Ajadi also criticised the poor state of infrastructure nationwide, particularly the network of roads connecting the states. He called for immediate intervention at all levels of government.
He further drew attention to the deteriorating condition of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, specifically Terminal 1, which he described as poorly ventilated, with non-functional air conditioning, making it uncomfortable for both local and international travellers.
“It’s shameful that a major international airport in the country is in such a deplorable state,” he said, urging the Ministry of Aviation to act swiftly.
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Ajadi concluded by calling on the Tinubu administration to treat infrastructure and currency stabilisation as urgent national priorities.
