Issa-Onilu: Tinubu concerned about next generation — end will justify current hardship

Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), says President Bola Tinubu is concerned about the next generation of Nigerians and not the next election.

Nigerians have been grappling with spiralling inflation, rising energy costs, and hunger since the president unfurled a slew of “bold reforms” in 2023.

Issa-Onilu said Tinubu is “well-suited and practised for the job” of president and would deliver on his electoral promises.

In an editorial on The Explainer, a weekly publication of the NOA, the DG said successive governments treated “Nigeria’s dwindling fortune like a sore thumb that the physician wouldn’t cure because the patient would feel the pain”.

Issa-Onilu said the country’s economic woes  worsened due to the “window-dressing” approach of previous governments.

“President Tinubu’s approach starkly contrasts the short-term focus often seen in Nigerian politics,” he said.

“Instead of making decisions for immediate gains, he is considering the long-term impact of today’s actions.

“This strategic thinking is crucial for sustainably shaping the country’s future. In a country where the focus is often on the next election, President Tinubu opted instead to focus on the next generation.”

He added that Tinubu is “unafraid to make tough decisions, even if they temporarily cause the public to complain”.

“There is no denying the hardship Nigerians are currently going through. One thing is sure: the end will justify the pains,” the NOA DG said.

“President Tinubu is well-suited and practised for the job. Lagos is a reference that cannot go out of vogue.

“The first two years of his administration as Governor of Lagos State witnessed teeth gnashing, but Lagosians have been smiling ever since.

“President Tinubu is one person to trust to fix Nigeria. No one else can do it than the man whose concern is the next generation instead of the next election.”