Describes fuel subsidy removal, police withdrawal from VIPs as bold moves
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has urged Nigerians to rally behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the country navigates through complex economic and security reforms.
Yilwatda, who spoke with journalists in Lagos, said continuity in governance was critical to achieving the long-term objectives of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He, however, commended Tinubu for taking what he described as some of the boldest and most far-reaching policy decisions in recent political history, warning that a change in direction in 2027 could undermine the gains already recorded.
The APC National Chairman cited the removal of the petrol subsidy as a defining moment, noting that successive governments, including the Buhari-Idiagbon military regime of the early 1980s, as well as the administrations led by Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Olusegun Obasanjo, and former President Goodluck Jonathan, avoided confronting the issue, saying that Tinubu demonstrated uncommon courage by abolishing the subsidy, which had long strained public finances.
He also praised the withdrawal of police personnel from members of the elite, describing it as another sensitive area that previous governments had been unwilling to address.
According to Yilwatda, who is from Plateau State, the President has addressed structural distortions that earlier administrations either postponed or politicised, including the unification of foreign exchange rates.
He acknowledged the economic hardship currently being experienced across the country but said that it was temporary and unavoidable if Nigeria is to build a productive and globally competitive economy.
He said the subsidy removal had freed billions of naira that were previously lost to opaque systems and rent-seeking, adding that the savings had translated into significantly higher allocations to states and local councils.
These funds, he noted, are enabling subnational governments to invest in security, road infrastructure, education, healthcare and social welfare. “If the subsidy regime had remained, many states would be bankrupt by now,” he said.
Yilwatda maintained that Tinubu’s reforms are beginning to restore investors’ confidence, stabilise macroeconomic fundamentals and expand fiscal space for development.
He, however, dismissed criticisms from opposition elements, including the emerging coalition involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and factions of other political groups, describing it as a coalition lacking a clear ideological foundation.
According to him, attempts to project the alliance as a credible alternative are unconvincing, as Nigerians can distinguish between political grandstanding and genuine governance capacity.
Yilwatda, therefore, urged Nigerians to weigh the stability recorded so far under the Tinubu administration against the uncertainty associated with abrupt political transitions, saying that a second term in 2027 would allow the Federal Government to consolidate reforms, complete major infrastructure projects and ensure continuity in national planning.
