Tinubu hasn’t kept all 2023 promises, but economy has improved — Edo commissioner

President Bola Tinubu. Photo: State House

Edo State Commissioner for Information, Kazeem Afegbua, has said President Bola Tinubu may not have fully delivered on all the promises he made during the 2023 presidential campaign, but maintained that the administration has recorded significant economic progress.

Speaking in an interview on ARISE News’ Morning Show on Sunday, Afegbua acknowledged shortcomings while defending the government’s overall performance.

“Tinubu may have promised something in 2023 and not being able to fulfill them, but he has made a lot of remarkable improvement,” he said in essence, arguing that the president has added value to the economy.

The All Progressives Congress chieftain highlighted the immediate removal of the petrol subsidy as a key early decision.

He noted that from day one, Tinubu “did not mince words” and chose to confront the challenges in the petroleum sector head-on rather than delay reforms.

Afegbua said, “So, our projection is six percent and we are hoping that every other thing being equal, since he has started the last three and a half years, looking at the micro-economic stability, we can predict the dollar as it were and that’s also helping investors both local and foreign plan for their own economic engagement.

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“We have put in place NELFUND to help indigent students through university education, we have devolved power to the local government level, and they enjoin allocation from the federation account.

“So, by the time we continue on this trajectory, the chances are that by the next four years we will have a better process of translating what we have at the micro level to the macro level and that will be for the benefit of Nigerians.”

The discussion took place against the backdrop of conversations about the APC’s manifesto and a comparison of the 2023 campaign promises with those being prepared for the 2027 elections.

Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 and quickly implemented major economic reforms, including the removal of the long-standing fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.

These measures have been credited by some analysts with improving fiscal space and attracting investment, while critics point to the sharp rise in living costs and inflation that followed.