Nigerians Will Be Ultimate Beneficiaries Of Tinubu’s Reforms – Governance Foundation

The Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation, popularly known as Tinubu Must Stay (TMS), has called on Nigerians to support and sustain the reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, insisting that citizens will ultimately benefit from the policies being implemented by the government.

The group made the call at its inaugural training workshop, themed ‘Empowering Every Nigerian to be Heard’, held in Abuja, where it also unveiled its official website as a platform for citizens to engage, contribute ideas and verify information about government policies and programmes.

The workshop was organised to educate Nigerians on the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and provide an opportunity for citizens to contribute suggestions on how to address the country’s challenges and advance national development.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Chairman of the Board of Trustees and National Coordinator of TMS, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the reforms introduced by President Tinubu were designed to redirect government spending from subsidising consumption towards supporting production, innovation and investment.

“We spend most of our resources trying to subsidise consumption. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came on board, he looked at it: Is it consumption we should subsidise, or production, innovation, and investment? That is what the reforms are all about,” Kashifu said.

He explained that the Renewed Hope Agenda was built around eight priority areas aimed at transforming the economy and improving the country’s development prospects.

According to him, the priorities include reforming the economy for sustained growth; strengthening national security; boosting agriculture to achieve food security; unlocking energy and natural resources; and enhancing infrastructure and transportation.

Other areas, he said, include improving healthcare, education and social investment; accelerating economic diversification through industrialisation, digitalisation and the creative industry; and strengthening governance through efficient service delivery.

Kashifu highlighted several initiatives being implemented by the government, including the integration of digital skills into formal education, the introduction of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by the Ministry of Education, and the Student Loan Scheme.

He said the initiatives were designed to expand opportunities for Nigerians, particularly young people, and ensure that financial circumstances do not prevent citizens from accessing education and acquiring relevant skills.

On digital development, the NITDA chief said the agency was promoting digital literacy through programmes such as Digital Literacy for All, alongside the deployment of more than 19,000 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members as digital literacy champions to train Nigerians in markets and motor parks.

He also highlighted the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, which he said was equipping young Nigerians with skills to access employment opportunities, including remote jobs with international companies.

Kashifu further argued that the reforms were helping to improve investor confidence, citing the Dangote Refinery, a $1 billion data centre investment announced by a South African firm, and JP Morgan’s decision to open operations in Nigeria as examples of developments reflecting renewed interest in the country’s economy.

He, however, stressed that national development required consistency in policy implementation, noting that countries that achieved rapid economic transformation invested considerable time in establishing and implementing the right policies.

“No country in the world developed in less than 30 years. The fastest developed country is South Korea. It took 30 years. To develop, you need the right policies first. That is the foundation Mr President is laying. Then you build on it to get investors,” he said.

Describing reform as a continuous process, Kashifu said the essence of TMS was to bridge the information gap between government and citizens by helping Nigerians understand the objectives of the policies and how they could benefit from them.

“Reform is a journey; it is not a one-off event. The essence of this movement is to enlighten Nigerians on these reforms, so that Nigerians can understand what is in it for them. You are the ultimate beneficiary,” he added.

He urged participants to develop practical recommendations on how the government could sustain the reforms and identify areas requiring further intervention. He also encouraged them to contribute ideas that could enrich discussions at the approved National Youth Conference.

Also speaking, a member of the TMS Board of Trustees, Olujonwo Obasanjo, said the movement was established to bridge the communication gap between government and citizens while creating greater awareness of development projects and policies across the country.

Obasanjo identified the establishment of regional development commissions and President Tinubu’s commitment to local government autonomy, affirmed by the Supreme Court, as measures aimed at promoting inclusive development and bringing governance closer to the grassroots.

He maintained that Nigeria’s development challenges had been compounded by frequent changes in government policies, arguing that sustained implementation was necessary to consolidate investments and deliver long-term economic benefits.

“Nigeria’s development challenge has never been lack of ideas, but policy discontinuity. There is the need for sustained, uninterrupted reforms to consolidate gains, drive economic growth and ensure that ongoing investments translate into lasting prosperity,” he stated.

In his remarks, the Director-General of TMS, Marcel Ngogbehei, said the inaugural workshop was designed to educate ordinary Nigerians, strengthen civic participation and provide citizens with a credible platform to express their views on national issues.

He explained that the training combined civic education with practical engagement, including role-play sessions that allowed participants to compare public expectations of governance with policies and programmes being implemented by the Tinubu administration.

Ngogbehei acknowledged that economic reforms often come with initial difficulties but argued that policy continuity was important for attracting long-term investments and ensuring that the expected benefits eventually reach households across the country.

He urged Nigerians to look beyond political rhetoric and demand clear policy alternatives and practical solutions from political actors.

“Instead of following rhetoric, we should encourage Nigerians to ask the opposition a simple question: What alternative are you offering that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not already doing?” he said.

The workshop ended with a call for greater citizen participation in governance, constructive engagement with public institutions and sustained discussions on policies and programmes capable of addressing Nigeria’s development challenges.