Former presidential aide and political commentator, Reno Omokri, has expressed strong support for President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, particularly the controversial removal of fuel subsidy, describing the President’s performance as superior to what Labour Party’s Peter Obi could have delivered.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television political affairs program on Wednesday, Omokri stated that President Tinubu had demonstrated the political will to make tough but necessary decisions, some of which Peter Obi had also proposed during his presidential campaign.
“I still hold the view that President Tinubu is by far better than anything Peter Obi would have done,” Omokri asserted. “When it comes to specifics, particularly fuel subsidy removal, President Tinubu acted immediately. Meanwhile, Obi had earlier said he would do the same.”
Omokri pointed to Obi’s prior interview, also on Channels Television, where the former Anambra State governor stated his intention to remove fuel subsidy if elected. “So, what did the President do? He removed it on day one. Would Peter Obi have done it differently?” he asked rhetorically.
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He further defended the President’s economic strategy, referencing endorsements from international institutions. “The World Bank and IMF commended the move. Even if we dismiss them as neocolonial bodies, what about Moody’s and Fitch? Fitch, the world’s top credit rating agency, upgraded Nigeria’s rating to B-positive because of these reforms,” Omokri said.
He credited the Tinubu administration with reducing Nigeria’s debt burden from $108 billion to $94 billion, attributing the change to increased revenues from the removal of fuel subsidies and naira floatation.
“Federal allocations to states have significantly increased, in some cases doubled or tripled. This has allowed both the federal and state governments to reduce debt,” he explained.
On a broader note, Omokri urged Nigerians to rally behind Tinubu, stating, “It’s wrong not to support him. Nigeria is the goal. We should focus on what’s working.”
He also took a swipe at Peter Obi’s legacy as governor of Anambra State, alleging that he was the only governor in the last 26 years to have increased poverty in the state. “The governors before and after him didn’t record such statistics. He lacks the moral authority to speak on these issues,” Omokri claimed.
President Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, citing the absence of budgetary provision and the fiscal unsustainability of continuing the payment.
However, Peter Obi has since criticized the execution of the policy, not its intent. He argued that while he also planned to remove subsidy, it should have been done with clear mitigation strategies to cushion the impact on ordinary Nigerians.
“In my manifesto, I clearly outlined how I would remove subsidy, by engaging the public and ensuring transparency in how savings would be used to alleviate suffering,” Obi said in a separate interview.
He added that unlike past administrations such as Goodluck Jonathan’s, which introduced programmes like SURE-P to soften the blow, Tinubu’s government removed subsidy without concrete alternatives for the masses.
“The problem in Nigeria is that governments often ask the people to sacrifice, yet things only get worse,” Obi lamented.
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