Sanusi talk say Tinubu govt dey see advice as attack, but e still give am credit for reforms
- Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi talk say Tinubu administration dey see any suggestion wey dem no like as attack, and e no get strong people wey dey talk for am.
- E still give di government credit for economic gains, like 4.48% GDP growth and inflation wey fall to 14.6%.
- Sanusi warn say normal Nigerians still dey suffer and di social safety nets remain weak.
Di Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, don talk say President Bola Tinubu government dey too quick to see criticism as war, and e never put strong people wey go explain im policies well.
E talk on Tuesday for di Oxford Global Think Tank conference, wey Arunma Oteh, former director-general of di Securities and Exchange Commission, arrange.
According to Sanusi, wey be former Governor of di Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), di government no dey present im case well. E talk say di government dey see any contribution wey e no like as attack, and say e no focus on recruiting capable spokespersons.
But di monarch, wey don dey talk plenty about national policy, still give di administration credit. E talk say di government deserve recognition for pulling di country back from di brink, and add say e no be fan of politicians.
Credit for di numbers, concern for poor people
Sanusi point to several economic indicators as signs of progress. E talk say gross domestic product (GDP) grow by 4.48 per cent for second quarter of 2026, well pass di average of about 0.9 per cent wey former President Muhammadu Buhari record, even though e still below di 6–7 per cent wey Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan see.
E talk say inflation don drop from above 30 per cent to 14.6 per cent, and dem project say e go fall further to 12.5 per cent. GDP per capita in dollar terms, e add, don rise by 47 per cent since 2023 and fit return to im 2005 level by end of next year if di trend continue.
E put external reserves at about $55 billion, but e warn say large share come from foreign portfolio investment, wey fit leave quick if global conditions change. E link part of di inflow to high oil prices wey tie to di conflict around di Strait of Hormuz and to attractive returns for Nigeria markets.
On diversification, Sanusi talk say Dangote Refinery now dey account for roughly 20 per cent of di country exports. E talk say di plant export about half of im diesel and 85 per cent of im aviation fuel, and e contribute around $4 billion to exports for second quarter of 2026.
Still, e warn say top-line figures no dey tell di whole story. E ask wetin dey happen to Nigerians for bottom of di pyramid, and list education, healthcare, maternal mortality, malnutrition and hunger as di measures wey matter.
E talk say poverty dey rise for some parts of di country even as e dey fall for other parts, and say di reforms don push some Nigerians below poverty line. For im view, di government suppose don foresee di shock to low-income households and build social safety nets to soften am, and e talk say dat gap remain unaddressed.
"It is a foundation. It is a first step," e talk about di stability wey e see dey emerge, but e insist say growth must dey much higher and di benefits must spread more widely.
