Barau: Tinubu met a broken economy — but he’s rebuilding it

Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, says President Bola Tinubu is taking steps to improve the country’s economy. 

A statement on Monday by Ismail Mudashir, his media adviser, said Tinubu has shown “genuine” commitment to addressing the nation’s longstanding economic and security challenges.

“By May 29, it will be exactly two years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration came on board in the country,” the statement reads.

“Yes, we are not there, and we cannot be in the promised land in less than 23 months when the numerous challenges facing our beloved country have weighed us down for decades.

“But a journey has started — the road is rough, but it’s for the restoration of our country’s glorious days. It is not easy to rebuild a shattered building.”

Barau said the administration came into office at a time when the global economy was under strain, with rising inflation and disruptions caused by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

“This government came on board at the time that the entire world economy was and is still quite turbulent due to the high cost of basic goods and services all over the world arising from Russia–Ukraine, and Israel–Palestine wars. Nigeria is certainly not an exception,” Barau said.

He said Tinubu has not relented in taking the necessary steps to reposition the economy, despite the difficult start.

“President Tinubu has been working genuinely to correct the fiscal misalignments,” he said.

“He has attracted foreign direct investments worth billions of dollars, paid the forex backlog and cleared the ways and means of the trillion naira he inherited from the last administration.”

Barau, who also serves as deputy speaker of the ECOWAS parliament, said progress is being recorded in other critical sectors.

He cited improved security across several regions as a sign of the administration’s focus.

“For instance, admirable success has been recorded in the area of security,” he said.

“Hundreds of terrorists have been neutralised in the north-west geopolitical zone.

“Yes, there are pockets of cases of kidnapping and attacks, but they are minimal compared to before the coming of this administration.

“The instances of incessant kidnapping on the Abuja–Kaduna road have become history.

“In the south-east, the activities of unknown gunmen terrorising the region have been on the downward side.

“In the north-east, Boko Haram was almost completely eradicated until the recent attacks in some parts of Borno state.

“I am confident that our gallant members of the armed forces will act decisively to smoke them out permanently.

“The people of the remaining five states in the north-east live peacefully and conduct their lawful businesses — commendation to our gallant officers and men of the armed forces and other sister security agencies.”

He said the enhanced security has paved the way for major developmental projects like the special agro-industrial processing zones (SAPZ).

“With the enhanced peace across the country, the federal government has recently launched phase one of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) to revolutionise and industrialise the agricultural sector,” he said.

“SAPZ aims to transform Nigeria’s agriculture landscape through innovation, private-sector investments and strategic public partnerships.

“The zones are designed to create agro-industrial hubs that integrate farmers with processors, reduce post-harvest losses and expand rural economic opportunities.

“Seven states, namely Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Imo, Cross River, and the Federal Capital Territory, have been selected for phase one, while Bauchi, Borno, and Gombe are listed for phase two.”

Barau said the administration is making notable progress on infrastructure projects.

“Also, the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano highway reconstruction, which dragged on for eight years under the last administration, has been flagged off and is receiving the needed attention,” he said.

He commended Tinubu for introducing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he described as a “game changer” for students and their families.

He said thousands of students have benefitted from the programme, easing the financial burden of education.

“With President Tinubu’s establishment of the development commissions, we will witness unprecedented development at the grassroots level,” he said.

“To this end, I urge all to give maximum support to the government to continue with these people-oriented and pro-masses initiatives conceived to take our country to El Dorado.

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has laid the foundation for Nigeria’s prosperity.

“Let’s support him. We have no other country than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are, by the grace of God, on the path to prosperity.”