Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, has insisted that President Bola Tinubu remains best positioned to deliver reforms and address Nigeria’s power challenges, noting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has demonstrated strong internal cohesion and strategic stability ahead of future elections.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Saturday, Ajiboye, said the party’s 8th National Convention underscored unity, continuity, and governance delivery as core pillars guiding its direction.
“What is profound and phenomena about the convention of the APC yesterday is the fact that you can see what we call party cohesion in practise.”
He explained the decision to retain much of the party’s leadership structure. “There are four cardinal points the convention was meant or is meant to enunciate, you know, stability, unity, you know, governance, delivery and national development. You will see clearly that changing the winning team is not necessary, we have a leader who understands… that a winning team does not need to change.”
Ajiboye said the APC has strengthened internal reconciliation mechanisms. “The way to manage those that are perhaps disgruntled is to reconcile them. And that’s one thing our party is very strong at. We believe in reconciliation of old members, aggrieved members without unity nothing can happen. We have about 30 plus or minus 30 governors, it’s a formidable political party quite entrenched.”
Addressing concerns about scenes of hardship around the convention venue, Ajiboye dismissed attempts to link the gathering to poverty levels. “Well, I don’t know how that particularly, what the nexus between our convention and Poverty is an index that is very popular within the world. There are places in America where people sleep on the floor. There are places in Brazil where people sleep on the floor. There are places everywhere where you have poor people sleep on the floor. So I’m not, while I’m not saying that this is proper, I’m only saying that it is common and it’s everywhere.”
On the party’s approach to upcoming primaries, he maintained that. “Quite frankly, my brother Steve, the cardinal principle is that you don’t change a winning team, So therefore, that does not really mean that it is going to be executed, If a particular candidate, for instance, may not be able to deliver, it is only imperative that such candidates is changed.”
Ajiboye strongly defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms. “Nigeria was wrong. We ran into so much economic confusion with respect to many factors. Our borrowings were ballooning. A subsidy was a canker worm. And indiscriminate injection of funds into the economy by printing 30 trillion naira. And all of that were situations that needed a quick.”
He cited policies such as student loans, palliatives. “This is why we talk about student loan, giving free health services coming up with CNG vehicles to mitigate, so the reform and the period of reform is a period of pain anywhere in the world. So therefore, what we are doing is to mitigate against the excruciating pain of social isolation.”
On gender inclusion, he welcomed the First Lady’s concerns about women’s participation in party affairs. “It is only reasonable that women are substantially included in programmes where the observation of the first lady that’s another very meticulous woman of standards, that observation is as good I assure you that once the president says he’s going to do it he will do it.”
Turning to Nigeria’s persistent electricity challenges, Ajiboye admitted. “Quite a significant amount of the money being owed to DISCOs, I will admit clearly that we haven’t done too well in the area of electricity, and I can tell you categorically that a significant improvement will be seen in the very near future I must, you know, sincerely apologise on behalf of Mr President once again by and around 2028, you will see a considerable improvement.”
He expressed personal commitment to ensuring progress in the sector. “If you have to make me a clerk in the Ministry of Power so that I can keep up with this promise, I shall do that.”
Ajiboye added that policy shifts allowing states and private players to generate electricity would improve supply. “There is no point romancing a failed effort, I will admit clearly that we haven’t done too well in the area of electricity.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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