In a strong defence of the President Tinubu’s administration’s economic direction, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has stated that his principal is not afraid of implementing difficult reforms and was governing as a statesman, not a politician concerned with the next election.
He pointed to the contentious removal of the fuel subsidy as the prime example of this bold approach.
Gbajabiamila, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, made these remarks at the 2025 Southern Summit of former legislators, which was held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The event, which he convened, gathered prominent political figures, including former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former House Speakers Yakubu Dogara and Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, alongside Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and APC National Secretary Dr. Ajibola Bashiru.
Addressing the audience, Gbajabiamila emphasised that President Tinubu had made his intentions clear from the very first day of his administration. He stated that the President was determined to tackle Nigeria’s most challenging issues head-on, regardless of the political cost.
“The absolute clarity of the President’s vision is the reason this administration has set out from day one to tackle the most difficult reforms,” Gbajabiamila said. “Today, the Federal Government of Nigeria is no longer paying inflated subsidy claims that benefit only a tiny minority of our citizens.”
He framed the subsidy removal, alongside new tax reforms and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), as bold moves made in the interest of Nigeria’s long-term stability and fairness. He described the signing of the tax reforms into law as a “turning point” in the nation’s pursuit of economic justice, creating a system “built on fairness, accountability, and national purpose.”
“These are not the actions of a politician thinking about the next election. They are acts of extraordinary statesmanship by a leader whose highest concern is the fortune of the Nigerian people and the fate of the next generation,” Gbajabiamila told the gathering.
He openly acknowledged that these necessary reforms have come with a temporary hardship for many citizens. Urging for patience, he noted, “Fixing what has long been broken imposes costs, entails sacrifice and takes time.”
He also pushed back against critics of the administration, suggesting that data contradicts the narrative of the last two years being solely a “catalogue of hardship and failed promises.”
The theme of the summit, “National Unity: Bedrock of Nation Building,” was echoed by other speakers. Former Speaker Yakubu Dogara advised Nigerians not to allow “pretenders” to distract them from significant progress.
“These pretenders are not about patriotism, they are about vengeance, distraction and power,” he stated, asking his colleagues to rise with an “undying resolve to build a nation that stands not just on maps, but as a testament to the world of what unity in diversity can truly accomplish.”
The political undercurrent of the event was unmistakable. The Northern Caucus of the forum, led by Rufai Chanchangi, reiterated its resolve to support the South in the next presidential election, insisting that the region should be allowed to complete an eight-year term in the spirit of fairness and equity.
This position was firmly supported by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who described the former lawmakers as true custodians of the nation’s democratic journey and declared that the South and President Tinubu must be allowed to complete a second term.
These sentiments were formally cemented in a communique read by former House of Representatives member Samson Osagie and adopted by the summit. It commended northern colleagues for their support and affirmed that it was the turn of the South to complete its tenure.
“We posit that it is in the best interest of the South and Nation that the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu completes the tenure of the South. Accordingly, we adopt him as the Sole Candidate of the South,” the communique read.
It also called on the South to support the North in 2031 to assume leadership, framing this power rotation as a course to “promote National Unity and firm the foundation of Nation Building.”
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