President Bola Tinubu has failed to fulfil some of the promises he made to Nigerians during the 2023 presidential election, according to Kassim Afegbua, the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Afegbua, however, defended the President’s performance, insisting that his administration had recorded improvements in the country’s economy despite falling short of some of its campaign commitments.
The Edo State commissioner made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Sunday, where he discussed Tinubu’s economic policies, the direction of the Nigerian economy and the expectations of Nigerians ahead of the next four years.
He acknowledged that the President had not delivered on everything he promised during the 2023 election campaign.
However, he maintained that the administration had introduced policies and implemented reforms that could contribute to the country’s economic development.
According to Afegbua, the Tinubu administration had made considerable progress in some areas, particularly in efforts to stabilise the economy and create an environment that would encourage investment.
He said the government’s economic direction had provided a foundation for further improvements, expressing confidence that the country could record stronger economic growth if the current policies were sustained.
Speaking during the interview, Afegbua said: “President Tinubu may have promised something in 2023 and not being able to fulfill them, but he has made a lot of remarkable improvement in terms of adding value to the economic improvement of this country.
The APC chieftain also spoke about the administration’s economic projections, suggesting that Nigeria could achieve economic growth of six per cent if the government maintained its current policy direction.
He explained that improvements in macroeconomic stability could help businesses and investors make better financial decisions.
He also argued that greater predictability in the foreign exchange market would encourage both local and international investors to plan their activities.
Afegbua said the government expected the benefits of its economic policies to become more visible across different sectors of the economy in the coming years.
He added: “So, our projection is six percent and we are hoping that every other thing being equal, since he has started the last three and a half years, looking at the micro-economic stability, we can predict the dollar as it were and that’s also helping investors both local and foreign plan for their own economic engagement.
The commissioner further highlighted some of the programmes introduced under Tinubu’s administration, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He described the student loan initiative as an important intervention aimed at helping students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds access higher education without depending entirely on their parents or guardians to pay their school fees.
NELFUND was established to provide financial assistance to eligible students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The programme covers approved educational expenses and is designed to expand access to higher education.
Afegbua also mentioned the financial autonomy granted to local governments, arguing that the development would strengthen governance at the grassroots and improve the availability of funds for development projects at the local level.
He said local governments now had a more direct opportunity to receive allocations from the Federation Account, a development he considered important for improving service delivery across communities.
The Edo commissioner stated: “We have put in place NELFUND to help indigent students through university education, we have devolved power to the local government level, and they enjoin allocation from the federation account.
Afegbua maintained that the impact of these policies would become clearer with time, particularly if the government continued implementing its economic programmes and translated improvements at the macroeconomic level into tangible benefits for ordinary Nigerians.
He expressed optimism that the next four years could provide an opportunity for the administration to consolidate its reforms and address some of the challenges that have continued to affect the country.
He said: “So, by the time we continue on this trajectory, the chances are that by the next four years we will have a better process of translating what we have at the micro level to the macro level and that will be for the benefit of Nigerians.”
The President introduced several major economic reforms after taking office, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange market.
His government has repeatedly defended the measures as necessary steps towards addressing longstanding structural problems in the Nigerian economy.
However, the reforms have also attracted criticism, particularly over their impact on the cost of living, transportation, food prices and the purchasing power of Nigerians.