Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the first two years of a possible second term would focus on “more work,” insisting that his administration would continue implementing difficult economic reforms aimed at stabilising Nigeria’s economy and securing long-term growth.
Speaking during an interview session at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Tinubu said transformative leadership requires taking difficult but necessary decisions in the interest of citizens.
“Do more work. More challenges are there. The world won’t wait for anybody. You have to continue to reset and rethink,” the President said when asked about his priorities if re-elected.
“The philosophy I came with in governance, believing that the hallmark of a transformative leader is the ability to take decisions, do what you’ll do, at the time it has to be done, on behalf of the people,” he added.
Tinubu defended his administration’s removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, describing the policies as painful but unavoidable measures needed to prevent deeper economic problems.
“It is a fake life to think you can, in a global economy, continue the subsidy that is wasteful,” he said, adding that the subsidy regime encouraged smuggling and fraudulent practices.
The President recalled that prior to the reforms, many states struggled to pay workers’ salaries.
“Of the 36 states, 27 of them were unable to pay the salaries of the workers,” he stated.
Tinubu compared the economic hardship caused by the reforms to labour pains during childbirth, arguing that the sacrifices would eventually produce positive outcomes.
“It is difficult, it is painful, but it is just like the human reproduction process. A woman carries a pregnancy, enjoys the pain of labour, and has a very big smile when she sees a live child,” he said.
He also defended taxation as necessary for development, stressing that infrastructure and social services cannot be sustained without adequate revenue generation.
“Nobody wants to pay taxes ordinarily. Every human being expects development, but the question they don’t answer is, how do you pay for it?” Tinubu asked.
The President argued that taxation remains a key civic responsibility for both individuals and companies.
“A citizen that pays taxes is a citizen, whether corporate or individual,” he said.
Highlighting what he described as early gains from the reforms, Tinubu said the economy had become more stable and predictable.
“Today there is a very bright light at the end of the corner; the economy is stable, the Naira is stable, predictable, planners can do a reasonable budget,” he stated.
He also disclosed that the Federal Government is implementing direct cash transfers for vulnerable households and providing grants and allowances for indigent students as part of efforts to cushion the impact of the reforms.
