Minister says Tinubu reforms yielding results as support groups back 2027 re-election

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has again defended President Bola Tinubu's economic reforms, saying the sacrifices Nigerians are making are beginning to pay off.

She spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at a press conference ahead of the launch of a book on the President's reform agenda, promoted by the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement. The book is meant to showcase the administration's policies and achievements over the past three years.

According to the minister, Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, into an economy with deep structural problems, a weak revenue system and public finances under strain. She said the petrol subsidy was swallowing money meant for schools, hospitals and roads, while the tax system placed the heaviest burden on the people it should protect.

"He could have passed the problem to the next generation. He chose to confront it," she said.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the government does not take the hardship lightly. She pointed to rising external reserves, easing inflation and renewed interest from investors as early signs that the reforms are working.

What the government says will reach ordinary Nigerians

The minister named the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the new tax laws and financial autonomy for local governments as policies meant to carry the gains down to ordinary citizens. She said the tax laws shield low-income earners and small businesses, while council autonomy puts money closer to communities.

On Nigeria's growing debt, she argued that borrowing is not automatically a failure, citing the United States as a heavily indebted country that remains a major economy. She said loans should be judged by the value of what they fund, and called for careful debt management.

She also addressed reports that the number of out-of-school children has climbed from 14 million to 20 million. She described the problem as serious and said the government is pushing STEM education, technical and vocational training, early childhood learning and skills acquisition across ministries.

The minister warned that relief may not arrive at once, because delivery depends on funding, administrative changes and coordination between agencies.

Tinubu is listed as Special Guest of Honour at the book launch. Aliko Dangote is Chief Launcher, Abdul Samad Rabiu is Co-Chief Launcher, and Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolo, is Chief Host.

Support groups line up behind 2027

The defence of the reforms came as several support groups pushed the President's re-election bid. In Delta State, the Integrity Group of Nigeria, also known as Renewed Hope for MORE Agenda Ambassadors, inaugurated a campaign council tagged "APC All The Way."

Its Director-General, Dr Oke Idawene, said the country cannot afford to start over, arguing that the reforms have begun to deliver and that Nigerians should return Tinubu in 2027. He praised the administration's road projects and its efforts on security, and commended Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State for his infrastructure and workers' welfare programmes.

In Anambra State, the Concerned Creative Artists and Entertainers Initiative for Tinubu, an affiliate of the Tinubu Again Movement, urged creatives to back the President. Its convener, Dr Ejezie Rollas, said the creation of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy and the renovation of the National Theatre, now the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, are gains for the sector. He, however, said practitioners still need accessible funding, skills training, protection of intellectual property and better working conditions.

In a separate interview with Tribune, Otunba Adejare Rewane Adegbenro, a Tinubu supporter, said the hardship is temporary and that the opposition lacks a clear message. He also said the government has communicated its reforms poorly and should cut the cost of governance.

What happens next: The book launch is expected to draw top business figures and political allies, while the support groups say they will keep mobilising at ward level ahead of the 2027 elections.