African Democratic Congress (ADC) spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi said on Monday that Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele may lack the specialised education required to steer Nigeria’s economy, speaking on Channels Television’s *Politics Today* about the federal government’s 30‑day fuel price reduction.
**What are the main points of Abdullahi’s criticism?**
- He described subsidy policy as an ideological issue that should be guided by technical expertise.
- Abdullahi argued that an accountant’s perspective differs from that of an economist, and that a development economist’s view differs again from a classical economist’s.
- He emphasized that “people who are trained to do this job should do it.”
- He added that his remarks were not a personal attack, noting his “utmost respect” for Oyedele, whom he called “quite a smart guy.”
**What is the finance minister’s educational background?**
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. He has also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, Gordon Institute of Business Science and Harvard Kennedy School.
**What professional experience does he bring?**
Before his appointment, Oyedele spent 22 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), rising to become the firm’s first fiscal policy partner and Africa tax leader.
Abdullahi concluded that while he respects Oyedele’s intelligence, the nation needs policymakers whose academic training aligns directly with the complexities of economic management.