Many Nigerians have continued to express outrage over what they describe as misplaced priorities under the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress government, particularly concerning the huge resources allocated to the rehabilitation of repentant terrorists while millions of law-abiding citizens struggle daily under worsening economic hardship.
Critics argue that it is morally troubling for a government to devote billions of naira to reintegration packages, housing, vocational training, and welfare support for former Boko Haram members while teachers, civil servants, healthcare workers, pensioners, and security personnel continue to battle unpaid salaries, poor working conditions, and rising inflation.
Across several states, public school teachers still operate in dilapidated classrooms without adequate teaching materials, while many rural schools lack desks, electricity, laboratories, and qualified personnel. Yet, reports continue to emerge of massive government spending targeted at rehabilitating individuals previously linked to violent insurgency.
Analysts warn that such policies risk sending the wrong message to young Nigerians — that criminality and violence may attract faster government attention than honest labour, patriotism, and education.
The criticism extends beyond the rehabilitation programme. Since assuming office, the Tinubu administration has faced mounting backlash over fuel subsidy removal, rising food prices, persistent naira depreciation, high electricity tariffs, unemployment, and worsening insecurity across several regions of the country.
Many Nigerians argue that despite promises of renewed hope, economic realities have become increasingly unbearable for ordinary citizens. The cost of transportation, food, rent, healthcare, and education has risen sharply, pushing millions deeper into poverty.
Security concerns have also remained a major source of public frustration. Terrorist attacks, kidnappings, banditry, communal clashes, and attacks on farming communities continue to affect large parts of northern Nigeria, while many citizens complain of inadequate protection despite increased security spending.
Opposition voices further accuse the All Progressives Congress government of concentrating too much power at the centre while failing to adequately empower local institutions and communities to respond to economic and security challenges.
Critics also point to growing public distrust in governance, citing allegations of political intimidation, weak institutional accountability, and lack of transparency in public spending.
On the issue of education, labour groups and civil society organisations have repeatedly called on the federal government to prioritize teachers’ welfare, invest heavily in schools, improve salaries, and create opportunities for youths instead of spending disproportionately on political officeholders and controversial rehabilitation initiatives.
Many Nigerians maintain that true national recovery can only happen when government policies begin to favour productive citizens, workers, students, entrepreneurs, and victims of insecurity rather than focusing excessively on rehabilitating individuals linked to violent extremism.
Supporters of the government, however, insist that deradicalisation programmes are internationally recognised security strategies aimed at reducing insurgency and encouraging defections from armed groups. They also argue that some of the current economic difficulties are consequences of long-standing structural problems inherited over several administrations.
Nonetheless, public debate continues over whether the priorities of the current administration truly reflect the urgent needs and aspirations of ordinary Nigerians.
