Why Tinubu Deserves A Second Term, By Omotayo Olajide

By Omotayo Olajide

You may not like Tinubu, You may even hate APC. But politics should not always be about emotions. At some point, we have to sit down and ask ourselves one simple question: where was Nigeria heading before Tinubu, what difficult decisions has he taken, and are we beginning to see results?

Tinubu inherited an economy where government was spending heavily on fuel subsidy while also defending the naira through an unsustainable foreign-exchange system. He came in and took decisions many Nigerian politicians had talked about for years but were afraid to implement.

Was the subsidy removal painful? Absolutely. Did the exchange-rate reform affect ordinary Nigerians badly? Yes. Nobody living in Nigeria needs a politician to explain the price of food to them. But leadership is not only about doing what is popular. Sometimes it is about taking responsibility for problems everybody knows exist.

Look at some of the numbers.

Nigeria’s economy has continued to record positive growth. Government revenue has improved significantly, foreign reserves have strengthened, and the debt-service burden relative to government revenue has improved compared with what the country was dealing with before.

Inflation and the cost of living remain serious problems, but we are beginning to see signs of greater macroeconomic stability. The important thing now is for these improvements to translate into what ordinary Nigerians can actually feel in their pockets.

Then look at education.

Tinubu established the student loan programme through NELFUND, giving Nigerian students who may ordinarily struggle to fund their education another opportunity to remain in school. This is something that will directly affect families across this country for years if it is properly sustained.

There is also the Electricity Act, which has given states greater opportunity to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution instead of leaving practically everything waiting for Abuja. The administration has also continued major infrastructure projects and road developments across different parts of the country.

NOW LET US TALK ABOUT SECURITY

This is one area where we must not pretend everything is perfect.

Nigeria still has serious security challenges. Kidnapping, terrorism and banditry have not disappeared, and Tinubu still has plenty of work to do.

But being fair also means acknowledging the effort being made and the changes we are beginning to see in the response of our security agencies.

One noticeable difference is the speed and coordination with which security agencies now respond to many major kidnapping incidents. We are increasingly seeing the Army, Police, DSS, Air Force and other agencies combining intelligence and operational resources to locate victims and go after their abductors.

In the first six months of 2026 alone, security agencies reported that more than 1,500 kidnapped victims were rescued across the country.

We have also seen major coordinated rescue operations involving hundreds of abducted Nigerians. There have been cases involving kidnapped worshippers, schoolchildren and other citizens where security agencies were immediately mobilised and victims eventually brought home. That is something we should acknowledge.

It does not mean kidnapping has disappeared. It does not mean every victim is rescued immediately. And it certainly does not mean Nigeria is completely secure.

Every successful kidnapping itself shows that serious security gaps still exist. But there is a difference between acknowledging those gaps and pretending that nothing is being done.

When major attacks happen now, we increasingly see immediate deployment, intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation and pressure from the presidency for security agencies to bring the victims home.

Tinubu has also continued restructuring security leadership and operations, strengthening intelligence gathering and pushing security agencies towards greater coordination and rapid response.

Security cannot be fixed overnight in a country that has battled Boko Haram terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, oil theft and communal violence for many years.

The questions should therefore be: Are our security agencies responding better? Are terrorists and bandits being confronted? Are kidnapped victims being rescued? Is intelligence coordination improving?

There is evidence of progress.

Tinubu should therefore be challenged to do MORE. The progress already recorded should not be denied simply because some people don’t like the man sitting in Aso Rock.

A second term should be about consolidating these gains until kidnapping and terrorism become extremely difficult businesses for anybody to operate in Nigeria.

THEN COMES THE 2027 QUESTION

This is where things become interesting.

Atiku has been contesting for the presidency in one form or another for decades. He was Vice President of Nigeria for eight years. Nigerians therefore have every right to ask him: beyond telling us Tinubu is failing, what fundamentally new political direction is Atiku bringing today that Nigerians have not heard before?

How many times exactly should one man continue presenting himself as the only alternative Nigeria has?

And Peter Obi?

I will never deny that Obi has built a powerful political movement, especially among young Nigerians. That is a political achievement and should be recognised.

But Nigeria cannot be governed by social-media excitement alone.

Being popular on X, Facebook and TikTok is different from managing the complicated political, economic, ethnic and security realities of more than 200 million Nigerians.

Obi was Governor of Anambra State for eight years. His supporters constantly demand that Tinubu’s record should be scrutinised, and that is correct. But the same standard must apply to Obi. Nigerians should scrutinise what he actually accomplished in eight years, what infrastructure he delivered, what industries he attracted and how much of what is claimed about his administration can withstand proper examination.

Opposition cannot simply be: “Tinubu must go.”

Go and replace him with WHAT?

This is Nigeria politics. We know ourselves.

Yesterday, almost everybody said fuel subsidy was destroying Nigeria.

Tinubu removed it, suddenly everybody remembered subsidy was sweet.

For years, economists, politicians and presidential candidates complained about Nigeria’s multiple exchange rates. Government moved towards reforming the system, and some of the same political class started behaving as if the old arrangement could continue forever.

Everybody wants reform until reform sends them the bill. That is the Nigerian political irony.

Difficult decisions have consequences, and unfortunately ordinary Nigerians have carried too much of the burden. That is where Tinubu must do better.

But Nigeria cannot continue postponing every difficult decision because another election is approaching.

My argument for Tinubu’s second term is therefore simple: Allow the reforms enough time to produce their full results.

Four years may be enough to start restructuring an economy, but it is not necessarily enough to complete it.

If economic growth continues improving, inflation continues coming down, foreign reserves remain stronger, oil production improves, government revenue increases, infrastructure expands and security operations become more effective, why should Nigeria suddenly abandon the direction and start experimenting again?

Tinubu has started something. Let Nigerians demand better from him. Let Nigerians hold him accountable. But if the progress continues, let him finish what he started.

That is the case for Tinubu 2027.

Think about it now!! Thank you!