Barau pushes back on Osinbajo's grim verdict, blames poor messaging

Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau has disagreed with former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo's downbeat reading of Nigeria's economy and democracy, saying the real problem is that leaders are not explaining their work to Nigerians.

Barau spoke in Yola, Adamawa State, at a public lecture titled "Democracy and Development: Rethinking the Leadership Question." The event was held to mark the 59th birthday of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.

Osinbajo, who was vice-president from 2015 to 2023, used Afrobarometer survey figures to argue that Africans are losing faith in democratic government. He said 64 per cent of Africans prefer democracy, but only 38 per cent are satisfied with how it works in their countries.

He also cited findings that 59 per cent of Africans describe their national economies as bad, while 51 per cent say things have got worse. Rising prices, joblessness, weak healthcare and low youth turnout at elections were among his concerns. He warned that if hardship persists, young people in particular may turn away from democracy.

Barau: the work is happening, the message is not

Barau praised Osinbajo as a strong speaker and thinker, but said the survey picture does not capture what the government is doing.

"There is no proper communication,"

the Deputy Senate President said, arguing that leaders at federal and state level have failed to tell citizens what policies are meant to achieve.

He pointed to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the student loan scheme set up under President Bola Tinubu, as one intervention that has widened access to tertiary education for children from poor homes.

"Before now, it was very difficult for a child who did not have the means to go to school,"

he said, adding that NELFUND now gives such children a route to school.

On infrastructure, Barau listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Badagry-Sokoto Highway and road projects in the North-east and North-west. Roads, water supply and similar works, he said, are what connect communities and open the door to prosperity.

He said the journey is long, but that it is being done.

Why prices are high, according to Barau

The senator, who is also First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, said Nigeria's cost-of-living crisis is partly imported. He blamed the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts for disrupting supply chains and pushing up energy and production costs worldwide, and mentioned tension around the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.

"Nigeria is not an island,"

he said.

For ordinary Nigerians, the exchange matters because it frames the argument over how long relief will take. The Federal Government has defended its reforms as necessary to correct old distortions, but many households still feel the squeeze on transport, food and other essentials.

Barau's answer is that officials must talk to citizens more, not less, and explain both the problems and the progress. Osinbajo's warning is that if living conditions do not improve, no amount of explanation may satisfy a frustrated public.