Afenifere’s Oba Oladipo Olaitan slams Tinubu’s government as a disaster, calling for his impeachment over alleged misgovernance and corruption
The leader of a faction of the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, has launched a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as a colossal failure and calling for the President’s impeachment over the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal road project.
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In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, Oba Olaitan accused Tinubu of openly flouting due process and favouring personal associates, citing the President’s public praise of contractor Gilbert Chagoury as evidence of a troubling conflict of interest.
“I almost fainted when I heard the President refer to Chagoury as his partner,” he said.
“That road was never advertised for public bidding. If we had a vibrant National Assembly, Tinubu would be facing impeachment proceedings.”
Oba Olaitan did not stop there. He went further to accuse the President of failing on multiple fronts, from security and inflation to basic infrastructure and public welfare.
“Inflation is sky-high, the electricity tariff has become unbearable, and insecurity continues unabated. What area of life works today? None. This is not just Afenifere’s position; it’s the verdict of 99 per cent of Nigerians,” he claimed.
He argued that the current economic realities speak louder than official narratives.
“I bought a new Jeep for N15 million before this government. Now that same car is N250 million. Can the average civil servant afford that? Nigerians are homeless, hungry, and hopeless. A minimum wage that can’t feed a family for a week is nothing but an insult,” he said.
Oba Olaitan also drew parallels with the late Pa Ayo Adebanjo, insisting that Afenifere’s criticism is not new and is grounded in principle.
“Adebanjo warned us. He predicted all this. They are building only 20,000 housing units for a population of 250 million while their cronies are erecting over 700 units alone. What kind of joke is that?”
They are taking us for a ride. If we don’t shout out, only God knows what is left up their sleeves.
On allegations of propaganda and political manipulation, the Afenifere leader claimed that the Tinubu administration is weaponising anti-graft agencies and hunger to compel opposition figures into submission.
“They threaten politicians with EFCC charges if they don’t defect to the APC. This is not new. Oshiomhole even said, ‘Come to APC and your sins are forgiven.’ They now say it to your face.”
He cited a governor allegedly instructing his cabinet to join the APC or resign, calling it “a deliberate weaponisation of hunger and fear.”
Responding to the President’s claim that 5.7 million households have benefitted from his cash transfer scheme, Oba Olaitan dismissed it as a public relations stunt.
“Let them show us these households. Hunger and unemployment are everywhere. Children are sitting on bare floors in schools without roofs, yet they send their own children to France and America.”
He also rejected the notion that Afenifere’s opposition stems from tribal sentiments or personal grievances.
“Afenifere is not a Yoruba group. We are for the greatest good of the greatest number. Tinubu being Yoruba doesn’t mean we support him. We support good governance, not ethnicity.”
Olaitan, who revealed that his faction operates a shadow cabinet, insisted that the group is committed to constructive opposition and policy monitoring, not antagonism.
He concluded with a warning that if Tinubu fails to restructure the country and address the worsening economic situation, Afenifere will oppose him with all its might come 2027.
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“We are older than them. We will not fold our arms and watch misgovernance continue.”
