Get Guardian on GoogleThe All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has said that no civilian administration in Nigeria since independence in 1960 has undertaken reforms as comprehensive and far-reaching as those being implemented by President Bola Tinubu.
The APC PCC spokesperson, Dr Dele Alake, made the assertion during the unveiling of the party’s policy manifesto, titled From Reforms to Prosperity, arguing that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated the political courage to confront longstanding structural challenges despite the economic and political consequences of its decisions.
Alake, who is the Solid Minerals Minister, said the manifesto was designed to consolidate the reforms introduced over the past three and a half years and translate their outcomes into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
According to him, the Tinubu administration has embarked on structural reforms covering virtually every sector of the economy and different aspects of national life.
He challenged critics and political opponents to a public debate on his assertion that no previous civilian government had implemented reforms of comparable scale and scope.
Describing himself as both a participant in government and an observer as a journalist, he said his assessment was based on what he considered the administration’s policy decisions and their implications for the country.
He said the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market were among the difficult decisions taken by Tinubu to address structural weaknesses in the economy.
According to him, successive governments had avoided confronting the problems because of their potential political consequences.
He argued that the removal of petrol subsidy was necessary to address leakages associated with smuggling and other practices that placed pressure on public finances.
On foreign exchange reforms, he said the previous system created opportunities for individuals with privileged access to official foreign exchange to profit from multiple exchange rates without making corresponding contributions to productive economic activities.
He maintained that the administration’s reforms had helped restore greater stability to the foreign exchange market, although their full benefits were yet to be felt across the country.
The APC chieftain also dismissed suggestions that the government’s economic policies were benefiting only wealthy Nigerians, arguing that improved economic conditions for businesses could support employment generation and broader economic activities.
He cited the student loan programme and monthly welfare support for beneficiaries as examples of the administration’s efforts to extend the benefits of its reforms to ordinary Nigerians.
The minister said the initiatives had reduced the financial burden on parents and guardians sponsoring students in tertiary institutions.
On the solid minerals sector, he said the administration had repositioned the industry as an important component of its economic diversification strategy.
Giving figures to support his argument, he disclosed that revenue generated by the sector increased from ₦6 billion in 2023 to ₦38 billion in 2024 and ₦70 billion in 2025.
He added that revenue had exceeded ₦101 billion within the first nine months of 2026, citing figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
According to him, the growth followed the introduction of new policies aimed at improving the exploitation and management of the country’s mineral resources.
He said the sector, which had previously received limited public attention, was increasingly attracting international interest.
The minister explained that the new manifesto would focus on consolidating existing reforms while expanding their benefits across critical sectors, including security, healthcare, agriculture, industrialisation, manufacturing and natural resources.
He said the overall objective was to move beyond macroeconomic stabilisation towards improved living standards and greater economic opportunities for Nigerians.
The manifesto, he added, reflected the party’s determination to sustain the reform programme and ensure that its benefits became more visible in the coming years.
He expressed confidence that by 2031, the reforms would have matured sufficiently to deliver broader economic progress.
He consequently urged Nigerians to support continuity in government, arguing that changing the administration midway through its reform programme could disrupt the process.
Invoking President Tinubu’s description of the reforms as having crossed the Red Sea, he said the administration was committed to ensuring that Nigerians eventually experienced the benefits of its policies.
