President Bola Tinubu will need to fight the twin challenges of corruption and poverty with renewed vigour in Nigeria.
This is the view expressed by veteran journalist and former presidential aide Laolu Akande on My Take segment titled How to Use Presidential Powers and One More Thing on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande aired on Channels TV on Friday.
Akande noted “He should use it [his presidential powers] in two critical areas: one to fight corruption and two, to fight poverty. If the president don’t make such a resolve to fight corruption, even the financial autonomy of the local government will only enrich the chairmen and their lot. If the president don’t clean up NNPC like he did with CBN, too much of our national patrimony will continue to be wasted, mismanaged and simply stolen.
“Similarly, we must fight poverty with much more vibrancy, much more passion, and much more planning. We should not just wait for the reforms to be fully ripened. The level of poverty is biting and alarming,” he noted
While commending Tinubu’s leadership in resisting pressure to withdraw four Tax Reform Bills, Akande noted this as an example of the president’s ability to withstand systemic excesses. “If those four reform bills had been withdrawn, Nigeria would have lost another opportunity for a significant reform to actually move this country forward,” he remarked. He also praised Tinubu’s efforts in ensuring financial autonomy for local governments, calling it a bold step in curbing the influence of governors over grassroots administration.
However, Akande urged the president to demonstrate the same level of resolve in two critical areas: fighting corruption and alleviating poverty. “If the president doesn’t make such a resolve to fight corruption, even the financial autonomy of the local government will only enrich the chairmen and their lot,” he warned. Drawing attention to Nigeria’s oil sector, he added, “If the president doesn’t clean up NNPC like he did with CBN, too much of our national patrimony will continue to be wasted, mismanaged, and simply stolen.”
On poverty, Akande called for a more vibrant and passionate approach, emphasizing the urgency of addressing Nigeria’s worsening economic realities. “The level of poverty is biting and alarming,” he said, adding that waiting for reforms to mature fully would only prolong the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
Akande further advocated for the revival and expansion of the Social Investment Programmes initiated during the Buhari-Osinbajo administration. “This is why we cannot question the vision of the Buhari/Osinbajo administration that initiated the social investment programmes and funded it very well, winning global accolades up until 2019 when all of that changed,” he stated.
Akande implored Tinubu to “fire up” these programs again, describing them as vital tools to combat poverty and uplift millions of Nigerians..
Akande, reflecting on his eight years serving in the presidency, observed “One abiding truth that I figured out is that there is no significant movement forward for Nigeria if whoever is the Number One – that is – the president – is not so determined for that. S/he can have the best set of advisers, ministers, or even a cerebral deputy, but it will be up to whoever sits on that chair of the president to really make things happen for Nigeria. The office is that singularly powerful. Others around him can only try to influence him.”
He highlighted the immense responsibility placed on the president and urged Tinubu to harness the power of the office with unwavering resolve. “If s/he is not resolute, focused, and visionary, it’s all water under the bridge,” Akande said, lamenting the lack of significant transformation in Nigeria over the last 25 years under five different presidents.
