ADC Publicity Secretary questions Taiwo Oyedele’s educational qualifications to manage economy

Bolaji Abdullahi, publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has questioned whether Taiwo Oyedele, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, has the appropriate educational background to manage Nigeria’s economy.

Abdullahi raised the concern on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, while discussing the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol price reduction initiative.

The ADC spokesman argued that economic policymaking requires specialised expertise, particularly in deciding whether government intervention in fuel pricing is necessary.

“I’m not saying he’s incompetent, but I think he doesn’t have the right education,” Abdullahi said.

He argued that economic policies, including fuel subsidies, were shaped by ideological positions and required an understanding of different economic schools of thought.

Abdullahi said he was not questioning Oyedele’s intelligence or criticising him personally but maintained that accounting and economics involved different approaches to evaluating an economy.

“No, I’m not going personal. Like I said, I have utmost respect for him. And I think he’s quite a smart guy. I’m not taking that away from him,” he said.

He added, “The way an accountant reviews an economy is not the same way an economist reviews it. And the same way a classical economist would look at it is not the way a development economist would look at it.

“We need people who are trained to do this job to do it.”

Oyedele holds a Higher National Diploma in accountancy and finance from Yaba College of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom.