A Justified Vote Of Confidence In President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Sunday (Eke)02-03-2025.
On Wednesday (Eke) 26th February, 2025, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of All Progressives Congress, APC, met on a scheduled meeting, at Abuja.
As the ruling Party in Nigeria, it was not out of place for the Party to have taken a deep look into the state of the Nation, especially as it concerns the Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Leader whose political engineering gave rise to the formation of APC in 2014.
It is an open secret that before the democratic emergence of Distinguished Senator Tinubu in May 2023, as President, national security and economy were in sixes and sevens, with a choking inflation. But being a Leader that was prepared and had a clear vision of the challenges confronting Nigeria, President Tinubu, right from his first day in Office, was determined to take the bull by the horn.
What previous Leaders had shied away from, he confronted headlong. The problem of Fuel Subsidy which many Nigerian elites knew was synonymous with putrid corruption and which many Leaders before him had avoided confronting, President Tinubu abolished it on 29th May, 2023, being his first day as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
As would be expected, abolishing a corrupt regime as controversial as Fuel Subsidy which made very few individuals extremely wealthy while majority of Nigerian Citizens languished in abject penury was bound to be considered repugnant to the Cabal behind the regime.
Prices of Fuel skyrocketed spontaneously. Inflation became the order of the day. Life became very difficult, and there was acrimony and bitterness in the land.
Meanwhile, Mr President was focused on his vision, agenda and policies. He knew that for omelet to be prepared, eggs must be broken. He was, therefore, unruffled. From the huge resources he conserved from the Corrupt Fuel Subsidy regime, his Government tripled monthly fiscal allocations to the State Governments. A State like Abia that received Three Billion Naira as her highest allocation during the previous Administration, started receiving Ten Billion Naira as her lowest allocation from the Federal Government.
Being the Trojan he is likened to, President Tinubu, not afraid of the likely resultant consequences, went further to address a hydra- headed problem surrounding fiscal allocations to Local Government Councils. His Administration took the thirty-six State Governments to the Supreme Court, demanding that allocations meant for the Third Tier of Government should be paid directly into Local Government Councils’ Bank Accounts, instead of State Governments being allowed loopholes to continue to manipulate Local Government Councils’ funds, and, by so doing, frustrate and inhibit development in the grassroots. The Federal Government won in the Supreme Court. That move was uncommon for any Nigerian President to have taken. By that single action, President Tinubu has solidly laid foundation for Local Government Councils’ autonomy.
Insecurity was the biggest challenge in Nigeria before President Tinubu took over the reins of power. North-east and North-west regions, including some parts of North-central were no go areas. The result was that agriculture had ceased to be practised in those regions that constitute the food basket of Nigeria. The situation has significantly changed because of adequate attention given and strategies put by the Tinubu Administration, which has been encouraging inter-Agency collaboration, intelligence gathering and sharing.
On the economy, the President’s Economic Team has come up with a lot of policies and strategies that are gradually but systematically keeping the Exchange Rate within an optimistic level, with prices of goods, according to Bureau of Statistics, steadily coming down.
The recent Tax Reform Bills proposed by the President were manifestations of a very courageous, frank and realistic Leader, who thinks in the overall interest of his country, not minding how initially painful and unpopular such policies might appear.
Knowing the strategic importance of Civil and Public Servants in Nigeria, the Administration of President Tinubu wasted no time in increasing the Minimum Wage of the Nigerian Worker to Seventy Thousand Naira per Month, with well structured consequential adjustments.
On the foreign scene, President Tinubu has been very optimistic that with good planning and management, Nigeria will be in a good position to take care of her internal challenges.
As a bridge-builder, President Tinubu has been carrying all geographical Zones of the country along in both appointments and infrastructural developments. His Administration has also created Regional Interventionist Development Agencies for the six regions of the Nigerian Federation.
Therefore, the vote of confidence passed in him by the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is one justified in all ramifications, and, obviously, by God’s grace, come 2027, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would, based on performance and equity, be overwhelmingly re-elected as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Sir Don Ubani, Okwubunka of Asa and Oke Amadi Gburugburu, is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State and writes from his native Asa land beautifully situated between Aba in Abia State and Port-Harcourt in Rivers State.
