Adebayo: Tinubu Implementing Ex-President Jonathan’s IMF-Inspired Policies

Ahead of the proposed nationwide protests by youths and groups over the state of the nation slated for August 1 with viral hashtags and promotional flyers on social media, the standard-bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has accused President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government of implementing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank policies on the Nigerian economy.

Adebayo blamed Tinubu for implementing the same economic policies as former President Goodluck Jonathan, which he, Tinubu, former President Muhammadu Buhari and others protested against even as he expressed his reservations on the proposed protests, saying that it is better to detect empty headed IMF drones to prevent them getting “elected” than try to oust them with riots.

Through his X handle, @Pres_Adebayo, he said the protests are similar to the sheer political gimmicks of Buhari, Tinubu, etc, protesting against Jonathan for the same policies that they are now pursuing even with less humanity. 

“I opposed the Buhari-Tinubu farce that time, and I oppose the same thing now. As Buhari and Tinubu and others were opposing Jonathan in 2014, they too were lobbying the same IMF, World Bank etc for political support based on the same policies Jonathan was already implementing against his own wish, just to please the same IMF.

“As SDP presidential candidate, it’s a common knowledge  that I opposed subsidy removal, floating of the naira and many of the policies adopted by Tinubu, Atiku and Obi. Instead, I called for the full implementation of Chapter 2 of the Constitution fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy,” Adebayo said.

His reservation about the protests, according to him, was hinged on the fact that elections have consequences and the winner must use his mandate, “four year tenure is sacred if we must avoid chaos, protests have no ideological basis for the protest sponsors follow the same neolibéral policies and you must vote wisely next time”.

He advised African youths, particularly, to prioritize ideological politics and listen to what politicians say, have said; do and have done instead of treating them as celebrities.

“A protest is already a protest if you voice out disagreement in any lawful forum or media. Once you organise a mass protest to challenge pure policy measures and their natural fallouts, you are doing politics, and the other side can originate counter protests.

“In the case of Nigeria and Kenya, you won’t achieve anything substantial because the major political forces on both sides of the protests agree on neolibéral economic policies whose inevitable consequences are what they are protesting against. 

“It is more sustainable to organise alternative policies to use to bring other ideological politics into power and change bad policies of the neolibéral economic policies whose inevitable consequences are what they are protesting against,” he said.

Rather than go on rampage in protest, Adebayo said it is better to voice out alternative policies with better outcomes than IMF-inspired neolibéral experiments, organising the voters to vote in their socioeconomic best interests, avoid chaos by foreign and domestic enemies of Nigeria and debunk the All Progressives Congress (APC) government lies.