‘Hardship won’t last forever’ — Daniel Bwala asks Nigerians to endure Tinubu’s reforms

Daniel Bwala, a former spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar campaign in the 2023 election, says Nigerians need to adjust to the economic realities in the country.

Bwala said this on Wednesday, while fielding questions on ‘Morning Brief’, a Channels Television programme.

He disagreed with claims that President Bola Tinubu is insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

Bwala’s remarks arrive on the heels of the directive to implement the cybersecurity levy.

On May 6, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directed banks and other financial institutions to implement a 0.5 percent cybersecurity levy on electronic transfers.

The Tinubu administration also ended the petrol subsidy regime and unified exchange rate windows in 2023 — policies that worsened inflation and economic hardship.

Bwala urged Nigerians to adjust to the reforms, adding that “hardship won’t last forever”.

“It depends on who is assessing; what is the motive behind the assessment. Just like we would have water in the bottle, someone says it is half full another says it is half empty,” he said.

“But what we should be generally looking at are the numbers. Also looking at the context and perspective from which we look at things.

“Nobody, I think, is in doubt about the fact that when the president took that hard decision, which is a necessary decision, it is not a convenient decision, that there must be a temporary hardship; there must be a period like period of childbirth; there must be a period of inconveniences; there must be a period of personal sacrifices.

“When you are confronted with a period like that, what is required of you is adjustment, because they say trouble doesn’t always last. You will not be in that situation forever. But you will need to adjust. This is the basis of life.

“I don’t think the president is denying the fact that this is a period in the lives of Nigerian people where things are hard. He has said it over and over again.”