Edo State Commissioner for Information, Kazeem Afegbua, says President Bola Tinubu needs another four years in office to translate the gains of his economic reforms into tangible prosperity for Nigerians.
Afegbua said the administration had spent the last three and a half years pursuing macroeconomic stability, arguing that a second term would allow it to extend the benefits of those reforms to ordinary Nigerians.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, the commissioner acknowledged that the government might not have fulfilled all its promises under the 2023 Renewed Hope Agenda but maintained that it had made considerable progress in addressing the country’s economic challenges.
“What they are saying now is what happens to the micro? And that is why the President is asking for four years, four more years to leave that level of reforms which has given birth to macroeconomic stability to go to the micro level which will now define the prosperity we are talking about,” he said.
He argued that the administration’s economic decisions had attracted commendation from financial institutions, particularly over its efforts to stabilise the macroeconomic environment.
“You will agree with me that almost every financial institution’s opinion models at the top level have commended the President for his macroeconomic stability and the indices that have factorized all of that,” Afegbua said.
The Edo commissioner also defended the administration’s record, insisting that although some targets announced in 2023 had not been achieved, the government had made notable contributions to the country’s economic development.
“We may not have all the answers to the nagging questions of economic development, but to say that we are not taking decisions that we feel are suitable to address all of these issues would be to be economical with the truth,” he said.
Afegbua added that the government’s economic direction was creating a more predictable environment for investors, while pointing to interventions in education and local government administration.
“You can predict the dollar as it were. That is also helping investors, both local and foreign, to plan for their own economic engagements. We have put in place NELFUND to help indigent students to make it to university education. We have devolved power to the local government level. They enjoy allocation from federation accounts and all of that,” he said.
He maintained that continuity in government would allow the administration to consolidate its reforms and ensure that their benefits reach more Nigerians.
“So, our group projection is 6%. We are hoping that everyone has been equal since he has spent the last three and a half years looking at the macroeconomic stability.”
He said the government was seeking another term to build on the progress recorded so far and improve the impact of its policies on the wider population.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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