Akpabio scores Tinubu high on economic reforms, security

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday said President Bola Tinubu has performed “excellently well” on economic reforms and security while vowing the National Assembly’s full cooperation on unfinished business, including state police, ramped-up crude output and infrastructure.

The Senate President spoke after leading a delegation of Senate Principal Officers on a traditional Sallah homage to President Tinubu at his Lagos residence to celebrate Eid al-Kabir.

“We came here to felicitate the President and also wish him Baraka the Salah on this Eid-el-Kabir and to also pray for him for continuous good health and wisdom and pray for our nation, for those in captivity to be released and for peace to reign in Nigeria—not just now, throughout his tenure as President of the country and beyond,” Akpabio said.

He praised Tinubu’s economic overhauls, singling out the end of multiple exchange rates, false subsidies, and “future clauses” that had drained Nigeria’s oil revenues.

“We appreciate Mr. President for his reforms, which have done a lot to reposition Nigeria on the trajectory of growth, constrain the kind of economy that we met when he came on board in 2023,” Akpabio said.

“It’s very difficult to grow a non-oil economy because what we met on ground, we had what they call future sells and we’re not making money on the crude oil that we produce because of future sells. And then we also had a situation of continuous expenses in the country as a result of what they call waste and means—which in a layman’s language, was expending money and printing money without earning income. He has stopped all that.

“We met multiple exchange rates. He has stopped all that. We met a situation of false subsidies. He has stopped all that,” he added.
Akpabio also highlighted the end of long fuel queues as one of the president’s most visible achievements.

“And we also appreciate the fact that in the last three years, he has brought the very long queues that people used to experience in filling stations to an end. And tangible things that people may not see,” he said.

The Senate President expressed deep admiration for Tinubu’s tax harmonisation drive, calling it transformative.

“And the harmonization of taxes in Nigeria. Something that even taxes that some were as far back as 1939. So for me, I think he has done excellently well,” Akpabio said.

He assured the President that the national assembly would stand with him always.

“But we are saying that a lot still needs to be done. And we are assuring of the cooperation of the lawmakers in Nigeria, particularly National Assembly,” he said.

“I will stand by him so long as everything he proposes is positive for the future growth of this country,” Akpabio declared.

On security, he said there is no part of the country that the flag of any insurgents is being hoisted.

Asked where Tinubu must improve, Akpabio pointed to security—but refused to give a wholly negative assessment.

“We can’t do it alone. National Assembly will assist him to ensure that we improve on the area of security. But it has actually improved,” he said.

“Except guerrilla warfare here and there. Attacks here and there. Because in reality, what we see now are insurgents going to areas of soft targets — schools. Going to churches. Going to mosques. And those areas that nobody would think security agents would not be there.”

“But he has done very well. There is no part of Nigeria today that you have the flag of any insurgents, whether Boko Haram, being hoisted,” he asserted.

“And then all those organised bomb blasts everywhere have been brought to an end. So the security services have done so well. But a lot still needs to be done. Because you know how it is. Nigeria is very vast. So, with a population of over 240 million, whenever something happens, outsiders do not know.

“That is a very big country. So they will say, ‘Oh, Nigeria, oh Nigeria, oh Nigeria.’ But they are areas of soft targets. Even on the fringes in terms of our boundaries.”

Akpabio said the National Assembly is actively crafting a regulatory framework for state policing, including a national state police commission.

“But we believe that working with him, the National Assembly can come up with a solution, a framework that will enable the states to also partake in securing the lives and properties of the citizens—and that is in the area of the state police,” he said.

“And we are looking at ways of creating a positive and not a negative state police and something that can have a national state police commission that will regulate the conduct of state policing and also promotion, training and all. So we will do our best to assist in that direction and sensitisation also.

“The citizens also need to know that they have to watch out for bad acts in their society because they all know it’s a very unfortunate situation, but we do know that the president is poised and the security services are poised, so that area will need serious improvement with all of us working together,” he added.

On police funding, the Senate President revealed concrete legislative action.
“Police in the country itself is a major issue that the National Assembly is looking at. You are actually looking at from 0.5 percent to one percent of revenue from the production account going into the police trust fund,” Akpabio said.

“That will be for police infrastructure and equipment. Of course, the states will also add their own.”

Akpabio highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects and the need to boost crude output now that the Dangote Refinery is absorbing significant volumes.

“And then the area of infrastructure is already ongoing and then of course we need to ramp up our crude oil production. Now that we have started selling crude in Naira and Dangote refinery is doing well and it’s taking a lot, so we need to improve on production to enable us also export to end foreign exchange to put in other sectors of the economy,” he said.

“We are still looking forward to foreign directives. We are also looking forward to direct investment in areas of agriculture and all that.”

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