Politics
Countdown To A New Era: Nigerians Await Tinubu’s Presidency For Positive Change
With less than a month left until the inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the next President of Nigeria, the excitement and anticipation among his supporters and political observers is palpable.
The end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is in sight, and Nigerians are hopeful for better leadership and positive transformation across all sectors of the country.
Tinubu’s leadership has been a topic of discussion among Nigerians since his emergence as the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate.
While some criticized and made mockery of him due to his old age and the gaffes he made during his campaign speech, others sees him as the rightful candidate for the position.
According to his supporters, his track record as a former governor of Lagos State and his leadership experience make him a capable and qualified leader to tackle challenges and bring about the much-needed transformation in the country.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu served as the governor of Lagos State from May 1999 to May 2007, during which he implemented numerous policies and initiatives that transformed the state into a vibrant and dynamic hub of economic and social development.
Under Tinubu’s leadership, Lagos State experienced a surge in economic growth and development. The state was allegedly generating about 600 million monthly a very meagre fee for over 10 million people but when he left office Lagos was allegedly generating about 15billion monthly an increase of over 1000%.
As the countdown to his inauguration continues, the hope and optimism among Nigerians remain high, and the expectation is that his administration will bring about the change that the country needs.
During his campaign, Tinubu made several promises to the Nigerian people, outlining his vision and plans for the country.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Tinubu, released an 80-page policy document detailing his eight-point agenda in october 2022.
National security, economy, agriculture, power, oil and gas, transportation, and education were listed as the areas of focus.
The objective of the manifesto, according to Tinubu, is to establish a new society founded on shared prosperity, compassion, tolerance, and equal respect for every citizen. The document includes ten promises that Tinubu intends to fulfill if elected.
The first promise is to create a Nigeria that provides decent jobs and wages to the youth, enabling them to live a better life.
Secondly, he plans to transform Nigeria into a nation of creators, where goods and services are manufactured and invented, rather than just consumed.
He also intends to increase exports and reduce imports to strengthen the naira and enhance Nigeria’s way of life.
The manifesto also prioritizes enlightened agricultural policy to support farmers, modernizing public infrastructure to promote economic growth, and harnessing emerging sectors to empower young people and women.
The goal is to create a Nigeria where no parent has to worry about sending their children to bed hungry, by training and offering economic opportunities to the poorest and most vulnerable.
Additionally, Tinubu pledges to generate, transmit, and distribute sufficient and affordable electricity, provide basic healthcare, education, and housing for all, and establish a strong national security architecture to eradicate terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, and violent extremism in Nigeria.
On January 8th, 2023, Tinubu addressed an endorsement rally organized by the area community in Lagos at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan. During his speech, he assured Nigerians of his commitment to fulfilling his campaign promises if elected as the next president.
He also assured that his government would be for all Nigerians, regardless of their tribes and faith.
“My respect for this country will continue to increase, and I will honour all my pledges that we all will live in harmony. We belong in each other’s hearts,” Tinubu said.
“From the moment I enlisted in politics, I have always been nationalistic and detribalised in my approach. I do not operate based on ethnicity, region or religion. I have friends and associates in all corners of this country.
“As governor of Lagos State, I constituted a cabinet, comprising competent people from all parts of Nigeria. We had the Yoruba, as we had the Igbo and Arewa. What was important to me was not your ethnicity or creed, it was your competence and the value you would bring to governance and people. To replicate this feat for the country is why I have offered myself for the presidency,” he said.
During his presidential campaign rally, Bola Ahmed Tinubu made several promises to the states, and he is expected to deliver on those promises.
On 11th February 2023, at a rally in Abuja, Tinubu reiterated his commitment to addressing the underdevelopment of the country, with a particular focus on the youth. He pledged to build a Nigeria that all citizens would be proud of, in all its ramifications.
He said “And I say the fact that what we are doing is about our youth, about our children, about our today, tomorrow and day after. Be proud of our Nigeria. We will make you productive citizens of this country. We will make you great educator, great inventors and great developers.”
In February, during his campaign in Gombe state, he promised to bring prosperity to the people of the state making it one of the richest in the country if elected.
He said “my own is to seek the blessing and cooperation of the people. Prosperity is here now, development is here now. For several years we prayed to find oil, now kolmani has given you the resources to commence training and development of the petroleum located in kolmani and other places.”
Also during his presidential rally in Ekiti state he said in Yoruba “be rest assured this election is your own, is that not so? It is an election that will guarantee your freedom. Unemployed youth are many and they graduated from school so they deserve jobs.”
As Bola Ahmed Tinubu prepares to take the oath of office as Nigeria’s next President, the nation eagerly awaits the changes and progress he has promised.
With his track record of economic growth, infrastructure development, education, and public safety during his tenure as governor of Lagos State, many Nigerians are optimistic that his leadership will bring about positive transformation across the country.
In an effort to reduce Nigeria’s debt burden and stabilize the economy, President Bola Tinubu announced on Monday that the country’s debt service-to-revenue ratio has fallen from 97 to 65 percent over the 17 months since he took office.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for seven new ministers at the State House, Abuja, Tinubu emphasized the government’s progress in stabilizing the economy despite challenging conditions.
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“For us, it was a challenge when the nation was servicing its debt with 97 percent of its revenue. It was nothing but the edge of the cliff,” Tinubu said.
“But today, I can report to you that we have brought that down to 65 percent, and we have never defaulted in meeting all obligations, both foreign and domestic.”
His remarks follow Afreximbank’s recent projection that Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio could reach 110.4 percent by 2024.
Afreximbank’s 2024 Nigeria Country Brief warned of a troubling upward trend in debt servicing, which could see the ratio surge from 33.8 percent in 2017 to a projected 110.4 percent next year.
However, with continued reforms, the report suggested the ratio might decline to 62.6 percent by 2025.
In the first nine months of 2023, debt servicing consumed 66.9 percent (₦5.79 trillion) of Nigeria’s total revenue, a slight improvement from 99.3 percent (₦4.23 trillion) during the same period in 2022.
Tinubu, while optimistic about economic recovery, acknowledged the ongoing struggles faced by Nigerians due to a sharp increase in the cost of living triggered by recent economic reforms.
“We have taken the bull by the horns,” the President asserted. “We have stopped the scavengers. We will fully put an end to the profiteers and smugglers of our resources across the country. We are not shirking our responsibility; we are confronting it head-on.”
He further expressed confidence that Nigeria was on a “good path” toward recovery, emphasizing that the government remains committed to re-engineering the economy.
He cited the introduction of a new minimum wage as one measure aimed at mitigating rising living costs.
Monday’s ceremony also saw the swearing-in of seven new ministers, part of a recent cabinet reshuffle.
In two batches, ministers including Idi Maiha (Livestock Development) and Dr Jumoke Oduwole (Industry, Trade, and Investment) took their oaths.
The reshuffle, which saw 10 ministers reassigned, five discharged, and seven new appointments confirmed by the Senate, reflects Tinubu’s stated commitment to reshaping his cabinet to meet Nigeria’s evolving challenges.
As the administration continues to implement reforms, President Tinubu emphasized a long-term vision for economic sustainability, not only for the current generation but also for future ones.
“Despite the challenges, we must undertake the job of re-engineering and retooling this country’s economic path,” he said.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has mandated that Godwins Omobayo, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, appear in person on November 26, 2024, following allegations of contempt of court stemming from his failure to comply with a previous ruling.
Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Monday, asserting that Omobayo, described as the alleged contemnor, must be afforded a fair hearing in accordance with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
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The court action was initiated by Philip Shaibu, who was reinstated as Deputy Governor after the court invalidated his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly on July 17.
Justice Omotosho ruled that the impeachment proceedings lacked due process and that the grounds for Shaibu’s removal did not constitute gross misconduct.
Shaibu’s suit targets several parties, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Edo State House of Assembly, seeking enforcement of the court’s judgment and demanding that Omobayo vacate the deputy governorship position.
Omobayo assumed office on April 8, following Shaibu’s impeachment.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Omobayo was served legal documents but failed to appear.
In response, Shaibu’s attorney, Ayotunde Ogunleye, SAN, urged the court to compel Omobayo’s attendance, citing the need to uphold judicial authority.
In delivering his ruling, Justice Omotosho adjourned the case until November 26 for further proceedings.
He directed that hearing notices be served to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th defendants involved in the charge.
“In the interest of justice and to provide the alleged contemnor with an opportunity to defend himself and receive a fair hearing, in accordance with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I hereby order that the alleged contemnor appear in court in person on November 26, 2024,” the judge stated.
It is noteworthy that the current tenure of the state government is set to conclude on November 12.
On the heels of the salvo fired by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria’s 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, signalling what might be a long-drawn hot exchange of words, the Presidency has made what it called ‘our initial response to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’.
This was contained in a statement put out on micro-blogging site, X, Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga.
The former vice president had detailed the shortcomings of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, making efforts to detail what he would have done differently, that would have better results for Nigeria.
In a swift response, the Presidency countered that Atiku and his ideas “were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll”, based on his antecedents.
The statement reads, “OUR INITIAL RESPONSE TO ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR
“We have just read a statement credited to former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in which he tried to discredit President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform programmes while pushing his untested agenda as a better alternative.
“First, Alhaji Atiku’s ideas, which lacked details, were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll.
“If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism.
“Abubakar lost the election partly because he vowed to sell the NNPC and other assets to his friends. Nigerians have not forgotten this, nor would they be comforted by Atiku’s antecedents when he ran the economy in the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government between 1999 and 2003.
“As vice president, Atiku supervised a questionable privatisation programme. He and his boss demonstrated a lack of faith in our educational system, and both went to establish their universities while they allowed ours to flounder.
“Talk is cheap. It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes even when there are irrefutable indices that the economic reforms yield positives despite the temporary difficulties.
“Despite the futile attempt to hoodwink Nigerians again in his statement, it is gratifying that the former Vice President could not repudiate the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right things to do.
“His advocacy for a gradualist approach only showed that he was not in tune with the enormity of problems inherited by President Tinubu.
“It is so easy to paint a flowery to-do list. It is expected of an election loser.
“President Tinubu met a country facing several grave challenges. Fuel subsidies were siphoning away enormous resources we could ill afford, and there was criminal arbitrage in the forex market.
“No leader worth his name will allow these two economic disorders to persist without moving to end them surgically.
“While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity.
“Alhaji Abubakar calls for empathy and a human face to reforms. We have no problem with this as it resonates well with our administration’s focus. President Tinubu has consistently emphasised the need for compassion and protection of the most vulnerable.
“The administration has prioritised social safety nets and targeted support for those affected by recent economic transitions.”
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