“Government Is Rich, People Are Poor”: Sen. Rufai Hanga Laments Hardship, Rejects Unconditional Alliance

By Onwe Wisdom| Pan Afric Reporters, NASS Abuja | October 31, 2025

Senate Minority Whip and Senator representing Kano Central, Senator Rufai Hanga has voiced deep frustration over worsening poverty, insecurity, and unemployment in Nigeria, saying “the government is rich, but the people are poor.” He vows not to join any political group unconditionally until citizens’ welfare improves.

The Senator criticized the current state of affairs in Nigeria, declaring that while government coffers are overflowing with riches, ordinary citizens continue to suffer in poverty and neglect.

“People are hungry, there’s no security, there’s no job. Many things are wrong this time around,” Hanga lamented. “Our conscience will never allow us to go and join unconditionally this kind of group where things are happening. The atrocities are too many.”

The lawmaker said his political decisions are guided by conscience and the welfare of his people not personal gain or political expediency.

“I’m not after being given a contract or money,” he said. “I have never struggled for that in this Senate. Even as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Works, everybody knows the minister he’s an emperor, he doesn’t listen to anybody.”

Hanga faulted recent government economic policies, describing them as short-sighted and “artificial.”

“The government has money, but the people are poor,” he said. “They are importing massively to force prices down artificially. It is dangerous. Farmers are not getting cheaper fertilizer or insecticide, and they don’t have security to farm.”

He argued that the current reduction in market prices is temporary and politically driven, warning that the country may face an economic relapse soon.

“In the short run, yes, we’re comfortable that prices of goods are cheap. But by the time they rocket again, you’ll see, it’s politics. We will not allow it to go just like that,” he added.

Addressing speculations about possible defection or alliance with the ruling APC, Senator Hanga emphasized that he remains open to collaboration but only on principle.

“We are ready to go with anybody, but not unconditionally,” he clarified. “Politics is local. Every good politician is in politics for his people. If your people are not comfortable, you cannot be comfortable.”

He also revealed that he maintains a cordial relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing him as a longtime political associate from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) era.

“The President knows me very well. When our leadership met him, he told them, ‘Take care of this man, he’s a good man.’ So naturally, I wouldn’t antagonize him,” Hanga said.

The senator, a member of the Senate Committee on Defence, also commented on the recent reshuffling of service chiefs by the President.

“He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches,” Hanga noted. “The President has his reasons, and as far as he is concerned, he will do the best for the country. Our job is oversight, to ensure funds appropriated are judiciously used.”

He explained that the Senate’s oversight function focuses on verifying the utilization of budgeted funds for military projects and welfare, not battlefield operations.

“The Government Is Getting Richer, People Are Getting Poorer”

Senator Hanga concluded with a strong message on the widening gap between government wealth and citizens’ poverty.

“The government is getting more money than ever, but the people are poorer than ever,” he said. “So what kind of policy are we talking about?”

He vowed that he and like-minded lawmakers will continue to speak out for ordinary Nigerians and demand policies that genuinely improve lives rather than enrich the elite.