Life is improving in Nigeria, Tinubu says

The New Diplomat
Writer

Ad

BREAKING! [VIDEO] Ministers, Advisors, Party Chief, military officers killed in Helicopter Crash in Ghana

By Abiola Olawale A devastating military helicopter crash in Ghana’s Adansi Akrofuom District has claimed the lives of eight individuals, including two prominent ministers, advisors, and military personnel. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, has been described as a "Black Wednesday" for Ghana, with the government and citizens grappling with the profound…

South-South Highways Now Dead traps, Says King of Idjerhe

By Abiola Olawale In a passionate plea, His Royal Majesty, King Obukowho Monday Arthur Whiskey, the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, has spoken up about what he called the deteriorating state of roads in Nigeria’s South-South region, labeling them "death traps" that have left communities isolated and lives at risk. The monarch also urged both the…

Murdoch to provide health updates to Trump in deal to delay Epstein case deposition

Rupert Murdoch will give President Donald Trump updates on his health to postpone his deposition in Trump’s defamation lawsuit over a Wall Street Journal article about Jeffrey Epstein. The agreement comes after Trump’s lawyers sought a quick deposition from Murdoch, implying he could be dead or too sick to testify in person by the time…

Ad

President Bola Tinubu has told Nigerians that the worst is behind them and that the country is getting better, in a speech to mark the end of his second year in office.

Halfway through his term, Tinubu acknowledged the pain his reforms had unleashed, adding that he did not take the patience of Nigerians for granted.

“Today, I proudly affirm that our economic reforms are working. We are on course to building a greater, more economically stable nation,” he said.

On the day he took office in May 2023, he announced the end of a long-standing fuel subsidy – a move that caused a huge surge in prices, leaving many Nigerians unable to buy enough food to eat.

Nigeria’s biggest opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Tinubu’s two years in office as a “massive disappointment”.

In a statement released to mark Tinubu’s second anniversary, the party which lost power in 2015 said the president had failed Nigerians.

But Tinubu said the situation was now improving: “Despite the bump in the cost of living, we have made undeniable progress. Inflation has begun to ease, with rice prices and other staples declining.”

Inflation was 24% last month, according to the official figures, compared to 22% when he took over.

This is an improvement from this time last year when it stood at 34%. Weeks later Nigerians took to the streets in a nationwide protest that left several people dead.

A fall in the rate of inflation does not mean that prices are falling – just that they are rising at a slower rate than before.

The World Bank predicts that Nigeria’s total output, or GDP, will grow by 4% this year – a faster rate than the 3% when Tinubu took over.

However, unemployment remains a major concern, with many graduates still complaining about not being able to find jobs.

The president said he had little choice about removing the subsidy, saying the huge cost was a “chokehold on our nation’s neck, strangling our nation’s future”, while allowing corruption to thrive.

After his inauguration and under what he called a “Renewed Hope Agenda”, Tinubu pledged to tackle economic instability, improve security nationwide, reduce corruption, reform governance, and lift Nigerians out of poverty.

Public affairs analyst professor Adeosun Olufemi told the BBC he feels the president has made positive gains in some areas, adding that the governors of Nigeria’s 36 states should take the blame for some of the problems over the past two years.

“After the president announced fuel subsidy removal, money allocated to state governors increased heavily but what have they done with it?” he asked.

The president, 73, won the bruising 2023 election with 37% of the vote – defeating former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former governor Peter Obi in a three-way race.

There is massive speculation that some of the major political parties could form a coalition ahead of the next election in 2027 to challenge Tinubu, who is expected to seek a second term.

Credit: BBC

Ad

X whatsapp