Spokesperson for the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council, Ima Niboro, has said the administration of President Bola Tinubu has made significant progress in stabilising Nigeria’s economy, arguing that it has addressed problems inherited from the previous APC government.
Niboro said this in an interview on ARISE NEWS on Monday, in response to a question on what the APC would be campaigning on ahead of the election, given that the party has been in government for four years, highlighting the administration’s economic policies and what he described as its achievements in stabilising the economy.
“The achievements of the APC are quite outstanding. You do not even know where to start from. The most important achievement of the APC government is the stabilization of this economy. The economy that this government inherited was in tatters.
“You might have the same party, but different people in charge. If there was a problem created by the APC, the APC has sorted it out. The APC has solved the problem. We have growth on all sectors of the economy.”
He also defended the removal of fuel subsidy, describing the subsidy regime as unsustainable and saying it had become a “criminal enterprise,” while arguing that its removal was inevitable.
“About petrol prices; that was because of deregulation of the petroleum sector. It was inevitable because the subsidy regime was unsustainable and had become a criminal enterprise. You could say you sell petrol at X price here, and they take the same petrol across the border and sell it at twice the price. We had queues all over the place. It was a horrible thing, and it was inevitable. All three major presidential candidates in the 2023 election agreed to remove fuel subsidy.”
Arguing that Nigerians need cheaper transportation rather than cheaper petrol, Niboro said the government must introduce alternatives to petrol, adding that fuel subsidies would amount to subsidising neighbouring countries, including Niger and Benin Republic.
“I think what Nigerians need is not cheaper fuel, but cheaper transportation. You need to bring in alternatives to petrol. Now, you will say, ‘As an oil-producing country, what is our benefit from being an oil-producing country?’ Our benefit would not be to subsidize other countries. Once we subsidize petrol here, we are subsidizing Niger, Benin Republic, and all these countries around us.”
Highlighting alternatives to petrol, Niboro said the government was promoting electric vehicles and expanding the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, including plans to make school transportation CNG-based.
“The option is to stay away from petrol. Bring in more electric vehicles, which is being done now, and the CNG initiative is very crucial. In fact, it has grown. The government is establishing it now so that even in schools and tertiary institutions, there are CNG initiatives to make sure that all school transportation is CNG-based.”
Explaining the challenges in the power sector, Niboro said Tinubu inherited an already troubled system that requires renovation, arguing that the major issue is not electricity generation but distribution.
“Many times, I wish that Tinubu’s government had taken off from Jonathan’s government. Nigeria would be in a better place today, because Tinubu is doing renovations. It is easier to build a new house than to renovate an old one.
“The issue is not megawatts; the issue is distribution. That is the challenge we have,” Niboro argued.
On the gender gap in political participation, Niboro said the APC had created a level playing field for women, but urged female politicians to strengthen their presence and networks at the grassroots, where he said they could build political careers capable of competing effectively with men.
“The APC is a gender-friendly party. We have ensured through the years that women get their right of place in the party.
“I think our women—and we have strong, tough women in political positions—probably need to do a little more at the grassroots. Because the party has created a level playing field. We do not discriminate, male or female.
“But usually, sometimes—and I am not by any means supporting some kind of patriarchal system of political conduct—because it is a democracy, you need to percolate down to the grassroots. That is where all politics is local. Once you make sure that at local levels, women are actually true leaders, there are places where no man can defeat a certain woman. That is because she has built a political career, has networks with the people, and has built herself through the years.”
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