The excessive use of mathematics in economics has often been criticised as akin to killing an ant with a sledgehammer. This critique extends beyond the realm of equations and models to the world of policy-making: when the wrong problem is met with the right prescription, the outcomes can be disastrous.

It appears that hikes in interest rates by a total of 900 basis points (9 percentage points) since Tinubu took office in 2023 may have stoked inflation that he is trying to tame. This is according to experts includi