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Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Taiwo Oyedele, has criticised Nigerians who attacked the World Bank over its lending to the country.
Oyedele, speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at a media briefing on the Nigerian government’s economic reform scorecard, said some Nigerians took to the World Bank’s social media accounts to abuse the institution over its decision to lend money to the country.
He said the World Bank was subsequently forced to disable comments on its social media platforms, adding that the critics’ actions showed a lack of understanding of how the lending system works.
“People went to the social media account of the World Bank to go and be abusing them that they’re giving Nigeria loan. World Bank just switch off the comments. We’ve gotten the loan because that’s not how the system works,” he said.
Oyedele said Nigerians needed adequate knowledge to effectively hold the government accountable.
“Part of your ability to hold government to account is having the right knowledge. If you don’t, you’re wasting your energy,” he said.
He also warned against manipulating economic data for political purposes, saying some politicians could interpret the reform scorecard to suit their interests.
“I know what’s going to happen after today now is some people will take this data and turn it upside down for campaign,” Oyedele said.
He urged Nigerians to be honest about their intentions.
“And you have to be honest with yourself. Are you trying to build your country or you are trying to tear it apart?” he asked.
The exercise followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy publicly account for the administration’s reforms since 2023.
