A public affairs analyst and former coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Marcel Ngogbehei, has attributed Nigerians’ inability to feel the full benefits of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms to the short-term effects of the policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy.
Ngogbehei stated this at a briefing with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, arguing that Nigeria had suffered years of neglect before Tinubu assumed office.
He said the administration inherited complex economic challenges, leaving the President with the choice of continuing existing policies or introducing difficult reforms to address the country’s problems.
According to him, although the reforms have imposed short-term hardship on Nigerians, their benefits would become more evident in the long run.
“This is partly as a result of the short-term impact of the reforms,” he said.
“He had two options. Option one, continue printing money after your term and go and hand the problem over to the next person. Or take a bold step, make the reforms. People are going to feel the impact in the short term, but in the long term, it's for the betterment of the country."
Ngogbehei maintained that Nigeria had neglected critical issues for a long time, arguing that the reforms were necessary to address the country’s underlying economic challenges.
“There are places where we know that a lot of work has to be done. Nigeria is a country that has neglected this for a very long time,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the Tinubu Support Group, Ibrahim Said Uba, challenged opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, to provide Nigerians with what he described as truthful assessments of the administration’s reforms rather than spread propaganda or falsehoods.
Why Nigerians are yet to feel Tinubu’s reforms – Ex-Obidient Coordinator