A senior presidential aide has described President Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s most bold leader in history implementing reforms although temporarily painful that would eventually change the situation of the country positively and for the good of the citizens.
Ademola Oshodi who is Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on protocol and foreign affairs stated this while commenting on the recent outing of Tinubu for the first series of his presidential media chat hosted in Lagos.
“There is no other President that has been frank and bold in his policies and his objectives,” aide Oshodi stressed.
Answering specific questions on the performance of the President during the media chat, he explained that Tinubu effectively defended his policies, and reforms and made a case that he would stand for the country.
“The President made a case that he knew what he was doing, and we should be patient. He was quite open. He had all the media houses there, even media houses that typically may not be favourable to him.
“His policies were laid out, he defended them and told the Nigerian public that this is what he needs and this is how he is going to do it.
“He also defended the fact that nothing can deter him from bringing a better life and changing the situation of Nigeria,” Oshodi said.
The senior presidential aide explained that many of these policies are controversial and extremely painful but the intentions were very clear.
“I believe that he reached out to the Nigerian population and told them this is what exactly he plans, this is what he intends, and this is how he is going to change their lives.
“He made great promises for 2025, which is something exciting. I believe that it was quite a formidable and beneficial media chat to Nigerians,” Oshodi added.
Oshodi also said that President Tinubu was fully aware of the hardship faced by Nigerians as a result of the reforms of his government.
“I do believe that he understands what Nigerians are going through and I will tell you why. He gave references to people who changed their mode of life, about people who have reduced the way they used their vehicles. He also has continuously mentioned the fact that he understands and is aware of the pains Nigerians are going through.
“He repeatedly said so, and his Minister of Finance has also said so and other government heads. It’s something that he knows.
“I can clearly tell you that his tenure as Governor of Lagos state went through a bit of that pace. I remember in Lagos, he cleared street trading. He was one of the first Governors to do that and he cleared many of the routes where cars and buses go through.
“And it was very painful for a lot of Lagosians but he went out on the streets and told them why he was doing it. And if you go through many parts of Lagos right now, there is clear movement and more orderliness,” he stressed.
Oshodi explained “That is his vision and you cannot take that away from him. So, he knows where to start and how to start, and he knows the process and the conclusion.
“His experience has said so and has shown this. I believe that he is sympathetic to what people are going through and he is continuously in communication with the country and that’s very important. It’s one thing to say something and then sit back and just watch things play. He is actually in constant communication, he is always telling people whenever press conferences he has, whether in Nigeria or outside about his reforms and what he intends to do, and what people are going through,” Oshodi said.
According to him, it is never going to be easy, as reforms are always painful.
“You can talk about historically what happened in places around the world. When India Gandhi did reforms – The Congress Party in India in recent times did reform in the 90s and opened up the economy. You talk about China opening up the economy, as well as Russia, where at some point, what went through.
“They were subsiding everything, queuing up for bread and all the staple items heavily subsidized. You talk about that in the UK – the welfare system that Margaret Thatcher broke and changed fighting the union. The UK is one of the striving economies in Europe.
“So, it’s a painful process. We have his history and he has communicated it, and he has shown his intention to stick to it.
“Yes, he knows what people are going through and he is on the right track in resolving the challenges that Nigeria faces. “
Oshodi lamented that Nigeria in the past years, has been patching, subsiding its future.
“We have been subsiding what the economy could be, our potential. We were supposed to be the largest economy in Africa.
“The President has clearly stated that he is open for business. He is ready to change things and encourage investments in Nigeria. You can’t get investments if the investor coming in from wherever feels that your economy is subsidized.
“You cannot compete, the government is giving free bills to oil consumption, electricity, the FOREX. This is not just authentic and the President has taken steps to do that.
“It’s a necessary process, painful. I am sure life has changed a lot for many Nigerians even those in the Diaspora. Demands from them are huge. People back home are asking them for more money. Even the roads of Lagos – there is less traffic on the roads, because of fewer people using their vehicles. But, things would balance.
“There would be an equilibrium whereby, the market forces and the people would adjust their lives for better things. There is no way you can grow the economy without these reforms. It’s absolutely necessary,” Oshodi added.
