The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic policies, promising to address what he described as the President’s “economic illiteracy” if elected.

Adebayo made the remarks on Thursday in Abuja after an interactive meeting with leaders of the Middle Belt Forum, where he outlined his vision for transforming the Nigerian economy and addressing insecurity.

The SDP candidate said his administration would tackle insecurity by restructuring the armed forces to adopt a community-based approach while ending what he described as government-sponsored criminality.

He also identified agricultural development, formalisation of the mining sector and progressive taxation as key areas of focus under his proposed administration.

According to Adebayo, formalising mining activities would enable Nigeria to better harness its mineral resources and increase their contribution to national development.

On foreign policy, he said his administration would pursue partnerships that strengthen Nigeria’s security while adopting measures to manage migration and improve the global reputation of Nigerians through increased productivity.

Adebayo further criticised Tinubu’s understanding of economic management, arguing that the economy should ultimately be centred on improving the welfare of citizens.

He said his assessment of Tinubu’s campaign statements convinced him that the President lacked sufficient understanding of economic issues and had failed to place the interests of Nigerians at the centre of economic policy.

The SDP candidate said his proposed reforms would focus on rebuilding the country’s economy, strengthening security and creating an environment capable of improving the living standards of Nigerians.