By Our Reporter
The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has acknowledged the economic hardship confronting Nigerians, admitting that the Federal Government’s reforms have placed considerable pressure on households.
Gbajabiamila, however, defended the administration’s policies, arguing that Tinubu deliberately chose to govern as a statesman rather than a politician by confronting longstanding economic challenges despite the immediate political consequences.
He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the unveiling of the Tinubu administration’s 2027–2031 electoral roadmap, titled From Reforms to Prosperity Agenda.
The Chief of Staff said the President’s decisions to remove petrol subsidy and unify the foreign exchange market were driven by the need to address structural weaknesses in the economy and secure Nigeria’s long-term economic future.
While acknowledging the difficulties Nigerians were experiencing, he insisted that avoiding difficult economic decisions would have further weakened the country’s prospects.
“Now, those decisions have placed real pressure on households. We must speak honestly about that experience because the people living through it deserve to be heard. And nobody should have to pretend that life is easy at the moment,” he said.
Gbajabiamila distinguished between politicians who prioritise winning elections and statesmen who make difficult decisions in the long-term interest of their countries.
According to him, Tinubu could have maintained the existing economic arrangements to avoid immediate public dissatisfaction but instead chose to confront what he described as longstanding economic distortions.
“If he came in as a politician and decided to govern as a politician, he would have continued on the cruise, on the path that we were taking.
“But instead, knowing full well the immediate consequences, he decided he would govern as a leader,” he said.
He maintained that the ultimate justification for the reforms would depend on their ability to translate economic improvements into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
Describing the administration’s new electoral roadmap as an ambitious document reflecting Tinubu’s political philosophy, Gbajabiamila said its central objective was to build an economy where hard work guarantees a decent livelihood and every citizen has a fair opportunity to succeed.
He described a political manifesto as a social contract between the government and the people, stressing that Nigerians deserved an opportunity to benefit from their country’s resources and economic progress.
“At the heart of this manifesto is my abiding conviction that every Nigerian should be able to share. Your country should give your best efforts a fair chance.
“A manifesto, in its strictest sense, is simply a contract between the people and the leader,” he said.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives highlighted several government initiatives in human capital development, social protection, taxation and electricity as evidence of the administration’s efforts to expand economic opportunities.
He cited programmes such as N-Power and the student loan scheme, saying they were designed to improve access to opportunities and reduce the financial burden on young Nigerians.
He also defended the government’s tax reforms, describing them as measures aimed at promoting fiscal fairness by reducing the burden on low-income earners and qualifying small businesses.
On electricity, Gbajabiamila identified the Electricity Act, which allows states to establish and regulate their own electricity markets, as an important intervention to attract investment and improve power supply.
He said the administration was working towards creating an environment where young Nigerians could pursue their ambitions without depending on political connections or patronage.
Gbajabiamila also urged members and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress to defend the administration’s record and engage Nigerians directly on its policies.
He insisted that the ruling party must be prepared to account for its performance and earn public support through measurable achievements rather than political rhetoric.
“The party asking to continue in government must be prepared to answer the people whose mandate it seeks.
“We must earn support through the quality of work, through the quality of our case and the seriousness of our conduct,” he said.
He added that the 2027 general election would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to decide whether to sustain the administration’s reform agenda or return to what he described as short-term political approaches.