Hardship will ease as Tinubu’s policies take effect – Aminu-Zaria

The Chairman of the Tinubu/Uba Sani Mobilisation Network, Dr Abdulmumini Mohammed Aminu-Zaria, has urged Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic policies, saying the current hardship would ease as the reforms begin to yield results.

Aminu-Zaria acknowledged that Nigerians were facing economic difficulties but argued that the policies were necessary and that abandoning them without considering their long-term implications could worsen the country’s economic challenges.

He said the mobilisation network was targeting 1.2 million votes in Kaduna State for Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani in the 2027 general elections, adding that the target was based on the group’s internal assessment of the two leaders’ performance and its mobilisation efforts.

Speaking at a press conference in Kaduna on Sunday, October 11, 2026, Aminu-Zaria said both leaders deserved a second term to consolidate their achievements, particularly in infrastructure, security, education and economic reforms.

“Behind every storm comes the rain,” he said, arguing that Nigerians needed to look beyond the immediate hardship and consider the potential long-term benefits of the administration’s policies.

He said governments sometimes had to implement difficult reforms early in their tenure, adding that the results might take time to become evident.

“There is a hardship in the land because of some policies. These policies are important; we must carry them out. It is either you do it and suffer, then enjoy later, or refuse to do it and suffer the consequences later,” he said.

Aminu-Zaria, who said he worked for about 35 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company before retiring as a director of human resources, defended the removal of petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy had implications for government finances and the resources available to states.

He questioned proposals by opposition politicians to restore the subsidy, saying such promises should be assessed against their potential cost to the country.

“I don’t know the mathematics that he wants to employ to introduce the subsidy. Yes, he may do the subsidy, but at a cost to Nigerians,” he said.

The mobilisation network chairman maintained that voters should examine the practical implications of political promises rather than support them solely because they offer immediate relief from economic hardship.

He also defended the principle of power rotation between northern and southern Nigeria, arguing that Tinubu should be allowed to complete two terms following the eight years served by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“For me, I believe in equity. Not because I am from the APC, but because we ran eight years and the North ran eight years. If Tinubu is on board and he is from the South, then it is only fair that we respect the rotation,” he said.

On the performance of the Kaduna State Government, Aminu-Zaria said Uba Sani had pursued development projects across several sectors and deserved another term to complete ongoing initiatives.

He argued that the governor’s relationship with the Federal Government had helped facilitate projects that might have been difficult to execute without presidential support.

“These things would not have been possible without the support of the President. All the development in Kaduna State cannot be discussed without mentioning Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

Aminu-Zaria cited road construction, agricultural support, education and security interventions among the areas where he believed the state government had made progress.

He also highlighted the Kaduna-Abuja highway, describing it as a critical transport corridor whose improvement would support commercial activities and ease movement between Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory.

He expressed optimism that substantial progress would be recorded on the project before December 2026.

On security, Aminu-Zaria advocated a combination of military operations, dialogue, education and community development, arguing that force alone had not resolved the country’s longstanding security challenges.

He said addressing grievances in communities affected by farmer-herder conflicts and expanding access to education in underserved areas could complement military efforts.

The chairman also attributed the APC’s prospects in Kaduna to what he described as improved relations between Uba Sani’s administration and Southern Kaduna communities, citing the appointment of a Christian deputy governor and the government’s engagement with different religious groups.

He expressed confidence that the governor’s record, coupled with federal support under Tinubu, would strengthen the mobilisation network’s campaign ahead of the 2027 elections.

Aminu-Zaria said the group’s 1.2 million-vote target was based on its internal assessment, although he did not provide detailed figures or methodology used to arrive at the projection.

“We did not just say 1.2 million. We said it based on our own analysis,” he said.

He challenged critics to wait for the election, saying the final results would determine whether the group’s target had been achieved.