Former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme and member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof Usman Yusuf, criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration for the taxes being implemented by the government.

He questioned Tinubu’s appointees decision to over tax Nigerians despite the socioeconomic challenges his policies have brought to the citizens.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, May 19, 2024, he stated that the ruling government is more focused on milking Nigerians rather than promoting the country’s growth.

He accused the government of increasing the poverty level and illiteracy rate in the country with its failed policies.

He said, “People have lost hope. It pains me to see our people lining up to collect cups of palliatives. Renewed Hope has turned into hopelessness. People have lost hope. The last one year has been a year of nothing but deception, destitution and hopelessness.

“From next week, they will start telling us their propaganda. What have they done to benefit the ordinary people? In a span of one year, they have brought millions of people back into multidimensional poverty, they have pushed millions more children out of school because their parents cannot pay their school fees. Many more people are hungry in one year. What have you done? I want the government to tell us. Don't give me the story about they are just floating the dollars. It is all about deception.”

“You increased the taxes; you hike the interest rates. You borrowed money, thinking you will pump the naira artificially and you keep taxing everybody. This is exactly what the President did in Lagos. The economic team, to me, looks more like tax collectors than economists. Taxation does not grow the economy; only production does,” he added.

His comments come after the Federal government mandated all users of federal airports across the country to pay tolls at airport gates.

However, some Lagos State residents have raised alarm over ongoing racketeering being perpetrated by officials of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) as they comply with President Tinubu’s order of toll collection.