The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, has defended the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu, describing them as “difficult but necessary” measures aimed at preventing economic collapse and repositioning the country for sustainable growth.
Dare said this at a Northern Stakeholders Town Hall engagement in Kaduna State on Saturday, organised by Supporters of President Bola Tinubu under the umbrella of the Tinubu Door-to-Door Movement, with participants expressing support for the president’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections
According to him, the administration’s policies, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms, were critical steps toward restoring fiscal stability and improving investor confidence.
”We have a president who, right from the beginning, rolled up his sleeves and started to work for this country. A president who is courageous, who is bold in his steps, and who has a vision. But added to that vision is a clarity about the direction he intends to move this country.”
“Tinubu’s reforms are working, and Nigeria is moving in the right direction,” he said.
He argued that recent policy efforts show early signs of impact, particularly in economic stabilisation and targeted social interventions.
According to him, “the fundamentals of the economy have been nailed down,” adding that the benefits of ongoing reforms are already beginning to reflect in smaller-scale interventions across different sectors.
He highlighted several government initiatives as examples of what he described as “micro-level impacts,” including support schemes for young people, healthcare subsidies, and social welfare programmes.
“We have 9.7 million of our young, vulnerable people benefiting from the 75,000 being given. That’s micro. Our young people are getting their funding loan. That’s micro. The health facilities. That’s micro,” he said.
Dare also said the reforms were already yielding positive outcomes despite the initial hardships experienced by Nigerians.
”But I want to call him the reformer in chief. And I have that from you. Without reforms, no country can make the transition to recovery.”
Dare described the reforms as part of what he called a “silent but impactful revolution,” arguing that the administration is laying a foundation for long-term national progress.
“We have a country that has the foundation needed to push forward. So there’s a silent revolution, impactful, that has been taking place,” he said.
”Without reforms, no country can make the transition to developing every part of the country. Without reforms, a leader lacks vision,” he said.
Organisers of the engagement said the initiative was designed to deepen public understanding of government policies while also providing an avenue for feedback from grassroots stakeholders.
National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Adekanbi, said the forum was intended to bridge the gap between government and the people by creating opportunities for direct engagement on policy implementation and governance issues.
Other speakers at the event offered appraisals of the administration’s governance style and reviewed key reforms under the Tinubu government, including infrastructure development initiatives and social investment programmes.
Among them was Professor Solomon Gushibet, Head of the Centre for Financial Economics at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, who spoke on the economic implications of the federal government’s reforms and their long-term impact on national development.
Representing Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, highlighted what he described as the positive effects of petrol subsidy removal at the subnational level.
Maiyaki also attributed the gradual return of peace in previously troubled communities across Kaduna State to deliberate governance and security strategies implemented by the state government.
Participants at the engagement expressed the need for continuity in government policies to ensure long-term economic stability and sustained development, with several stakeholders backing President Tinubu’s re-election for policy consistency.
Organisers disclosed that similar town hall engagements would be extended to other parts of the country ahead of the 2027 general elections as part of efforts to sustain dialogue between the government and citizens.
