Tinubu chose reform over political comfort, says Abbas at third anniversary

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has lauded President Bola Tinubu's administration on its third anniversary, characterizing the implemented economic and governance reforms as bold steps crucial for Nigeria's long-term stability and growth.

Abbas asserted that President Tinubu inherited a nation facing severe economic and structural difficulties, including subsidy distortions, exchange rate instability, declining revenues, and weakened investor confidence. He noted that the administration opted for challenging reforms rather than pursuing politically expedient measures.

"President Tinubu inherited a country on life support. A country on crutches. A country bedevilled by subsidy distortions, exchange rate instability, declining revenues, weakened investor confidence, oil theft, worsening insecurity and an economy weighed down by years of postponed decisions," Abbas stated in a release from his media aide.

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President Tinubu inherited a country on life support. A country on crutches. A country bedevilled by subsidy distortions, exchange rate instability, declining revenues, weakened investor confidence, oil theft, worsening insecurity and an economy weighed down by years of postponed decisions.

The Speaker pointed to the "Renewed Hope Agenda" policies as yielding measurable results. He cited an increase in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product growth from 2.74 percent in 2023 to 3.87 percent in 2025, with projections for further growth. Additionally, external reserves reportedly grew from approximately $4 billion in 2023 to over $34 billion in net reserves by the end of 2025, with gross reserves surpassing $50 billion.

Abbas also highlighted improvements in public finance, with Federation Account Allocation Committee disbursements exceeding ₦22 trillion by 2025, and several months surpassing the ₦2 trillion mark. Foreign investment inflows saw a significant rise, from $654.65 million in Q3 2023 to $5.64 billion in Q1 2025, signaling increased investor confidence. He further mentioned ongoing infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highway as vital for economic development.

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The politically convenient option would have been to continue postponing reality. But President Tinubu chose reform. He chose reconstruction. He chose long-term national stability over temporary political comfort. And today, Nigerians can see the results of those bold decisions across the country.