The lately printed opinion piece titled: “All of the President’s Enemies: How President Tinubu Misplaced the Nation’s Religion” by one Nnaoke Ufere, PhD, is a masterclass in selective outrage and emotional exaggeration masquerading as evaluation.
Its language could also be elegant however its logic is shallow and designed to impress despair fairly than encourage understanding.
Allow us to be clear: Nigeria’s challenges didn’t
start in Could 2023.
The present administration inherited a deeply fractured economic system, many years of subsidy fraud, huge oil theft, a collapsing naira and unsustainable debt servicing that consumed over 90% of presidency
income.
What the writer calls “Tinubu’s hardship”( which the President himself has acknowledged a number of instances) is the painful however crucial means of dismantling
the ruins of many years lengthy {economic} deceit.
Permit me to dissect this sham disguised as an airticle.
1. “THE PEOPLE”: Ufere’s declare that over 200 million Nigerians are victims of Tinubu’s failed insurance policies and that Subsidy removing introduced solely starvation is nothing however an try at justifying a weak level.
Each economist value their credentials is aware of that Nigeria’s gasoline subsidy was a fiscal time bomb. It value over N4 trillion yearly, greater than the budgets of schooling, well being and protection mixed whereas enriching smugglers and corrupt cartels.
President Tinubu took the daring step earlier leaders postponed for worry of backlash. Right this moment, regardless of short-term hardship, the advantages are rising thus:
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) shared over N1.3 trillion month-to-month, the best in historical past, empowering states to put money into salaries, infrastructure and palliatives.
Additionally, pipelines and modular refineries are being revived as subsidy fraud collapses. Moreover, Oil entrepreneurs are investing in aggressive pricing for the primary time in many years.
This and extra are the good points of a really laborious resolution taken by the President on assumption of workplace.
Secondly, on the problem of Change Charge Unification, for years, Nigeria operated a number of trade charges, a system riddled with corruption and arbitrage. By unifying the FX market, President Tinubu ended the racket that favoured the elite over odd Nigerians.
International Direct Funding (FDI) is slowly returning because the system stabilizes.
Exporters can now repatriate earnings transparently. Diaspora remittances, beforehand trapped by a number of charge home windows, are flowing by way of authentic channels.
It takes time for stability to interchange distortion.
However Nigeria’s forex system is lastly going through actuality, not phantasm. We should due to this fact stay conscious that painful reforms are by no means well-liked firstly however historical past remembers those that select correction over consolation.
2. SIDELINING OF THE NORTH: Ufere claimed that Tinubu sidelined the North and broke previous alliances. That is laughable however let’s break down the information. The Minister of Defence, NSA, COAS, CNS and really key cupboard members are from the North, all chosen on advantage.
Satirically, Northern states are the biggest beneficiaries of federal agricultural and infrastructure investments together with Kano-Katsina dualization, Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, Mambilla resumption and resettlement funds for farmers amongst
others.
It’s on document that Tinubu has met repeatedly with Arewa Consultative Discussion board and Northern Governors Discussion board to coordinate joint restoration efforts. So if that is what Ufere time period as “alienation”, it’s certainly, one which comes with record-level capital initiatives and empowerment within the North.
3. THE SOUTHEASTERNERS
In the identical vien, the author declare Tinubu practices “benign neglect” of the Southeast.
In the meantime, the Second Niger Bridge, commissioned in 2023, was accomplished and now absolutely operational, ending many years of damaged guarantees. Over N200 billion
value of federal roads (Enugu-Portarcourt, Owerri-Onitsha, Aba-Ikot Ekpene) are below reconstruction.
Along with this, Igbo technocrats maintain main portfolios, Works (Umahi), Trade/Commerce (Doris Uzoka-Anite) amongst others. Moreover, on the directives of President Tinubu, Safety operations
have drastically decreased IPOB/ESN terror assaults in Anambra, Imo and Abia. Many markets and faculties have reopened.
The data converse for themselves. The
Southeast is just not excluded however it’s being
rebuilt in peace not prop
4. “THE DISILLUSIONED SOUTHWESTERNERS”
One other deceptive rhetoric is that Tinubu has betrayed his personal Yoruba base.
The actual fact is, Southwest states have seen historic allocations and coverage help. These embody, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway accepted as essentially the most formidable infrastructure undertaking in Nigeria’s
historical past.
One other is the Oyo-Ogun-Lagos rail and energy hall accepted for personal public execution. Likewise, there’s the Agric mechanization clusters launched in Ekiti, Ondo, and Osun. All these are proofs that the President’s politics have by no means
been about tribe however transformation. Struggling is nationwide however so is also restoration.
5. “THE FORMER BUSINESS OWNERS”
That Companies collapsed attributable to erratic insurance policies and foreign exchange reforms is one other falsehood as a result of that trade charge unification ended years of multiple-rate corruption that benefitted solely privileged importers.
Reforms take time to yield stability, however progress is evident: Export proceeds repatriation has risen by 26%; SMEDAN-{Bank} of Trade grants have supported 1.3 million small companies since This autumn 2023.
Equally, gigital economic system reforms now appeal to funding such that Microsoft, Google and Huawei all expanded operations in 2024. Evidently, Nigeria is being cleaned up for sustainable enterprise not
the synthetic prosperity of subsidy-era distortions.
6. THE FARMERS
Possibly Ufere is just not conscious that over $500 million value of safety drones and surveillance tools have been deployed to guard farms in Zamfara,
Kaduna and Niger.
Ufere might need additionally turned a blind eye to the ten,000 new Agro Rangers below NSCDC who have been lately educated.The Nationwide Meals Safety Council
was reactivated and N200 billion allotted
for dry season farming.
In the meantime, Anchor Debtors compensation reforms are being enforced to finish mortgage fraud. Harvest outputs in 2024 elevated in rice, maize, and sorghum regardless of international local weather shocks. Farmers are returning to fields, not fleeing them and that’s the reason there’s a gradual however noticeable decline in meals costs in 2025 as in opposition to their value in 2024. Ufere is challenged to go and fact-check this.
7. THE FAMILIES OF THE DEAD Claims by the writer that neglect induced preventable deaths and collapse
of healthcare can be false.
The Fundamental Well being Care Provision Fund obtained the best disbursement since inception, N150 billion in 2024. 1,000 major healthcare facilities are being revitalized nationwide with solar energy whereas over
15 million weak Nigerians enrolled within the
Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority scheme.
The Well being sector reform is ongoing, tools procurement, personnel coaching and native drug manufacturing incentives are in movement. Only in the near past, the federal authorities launched over N11billion to clear off debt owed medical well being employees amongst different intervention. Be aware additionally
that the mentioned debt was owed by earlier
governments.
8. THE RANK AND FILE OF THE
ARMED FORCES
Like many different delusional minds, Ufere notes that the army is disillusioned and plotting coups. However that’s removed from the reality as a result of the Nigerian
Armed Forces stay disciplined, loyal {and professional}.
Troops’ allowances have been reviewed upward by 45%.
Insurance coverage and compensation schemes for fallen troopers at the moment are automated. The excessive morale amongst them have resulted in 1000’s of terrorists neutralised, over 2000 hostages rescued and 1000’s of unlawful miners arrested between mid 2024 and late 2025.
This clearly implies morale is excessive as a result of outcomes are seen. The federal government has categorically talked about that there was by no means an tried coup. Subsequently “whispers of coups” exist solely within the creativeness of the writer.
9. THE YOUTH
To show that the youth are central to Tinubu’s agenda, he has ensured that the Pupil Mortgage Act handed, a many years lengthy demand now actuality. Is the 3MTT (Three Million Technical Expertise) programme
coaching 1 million Nigerians in digital expertise
a joke to Ufere? There may be additionally the NYSC, N-Energy and
public service reforms being aligned to employment pathways. The Startup Act implementation now offers younger innovators tax holidays and investor entry. Little doubt, a stressed technology lastly has a authorities giving construction to their power. That is to the disgrace and disappointment of the Ufere and his likes.
10. THE INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS
The author claims Traders are fleeing
Nigeria. The alternative is true. Nigeria stays Africa’s prime funding vacation spot
in tech, power and agriculture.
That is exemplified by the $14 billion
in FDI commitments secured in the course of the
2024 G-20 summit. Additionally, AfDB, IFC and
Afreximbank have all elevated portfolio
publicity. Main corporations together with Shell, Seplat, Indorama and Dangote are reinvest
–
ing closely as confidence grows.
This merely implies that quick time period volatility doesn’t imply failure as Tinubu’s
reform is restoring credibility. Proudly,
simply within the final two weeks, overseas reserve
rose from N530.28 million to a whooping
N43.17 billion! Once more, Ufere is challenged
to fact-check this.
11. THE DIASPORA
If I’ll once more ask the writer, in what
world are Diaspora Nigerians disillusioned when remittances reached $20.5
billion in 2024, the best in West Africa,
aided by unified FX coverage. Is Ufere blind to the truth that the Diaspora Bond initiative and NIDCOM funding platform
have opened safe channels for residence
primarily based investments?