President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday said his administration’s bold economic reforms are yielding results, stabilizing the economy, and enhancing Nigeria’s global reputation.
Speaking at the State House in Abuja while receiving the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Oladunni Olaoye (Orumogege III), and other royal fathers, Tinubu said years of neglect, falsified records, and smuggling had deprived Nigeria of much-needed revenue for development.
According to him, initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) were established to ensure that no student drops out of school due to poverty. He described education as “the greatest weapon against poverty” and emphasized his administration’s aggressive push on infrastructure within two years of taking office.
The president thanked the monarch for recognizing the government’s early policy decisions, promising to direct the Ministers of Power, Water Resources, Agriculture, and Works to address the requests presented by the royal father. Tinubu maintained that with the right interventions, Nigeria could achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture.
The Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Olaoye, commended the president for what he described as bold reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the ongoing foreign exchange reforms, which he said were already yielding positive outcomes. He also praised the establishment of NELFUND, noting that it had provided relief to many students who might otherwise have abandoned their education.
The monarch further lauded the federal government for awarding the long-delayed dualization contract of the Oyo–Ogbomoso Road, describing it as a key project that would boost economic activities and improve connectivity to northern Nigeria.
Oba Olaoye, however, appealed for federal support in addressing water and electricity challenges in Ogbomoso, upgrading the town’s General Hospital into a Federal Medical Centre, and setting up a research institute to commercialize Ogbomoso’s renowned mango and cashew produce.
The traditional ruler also expressed gratitude for the appointment of Ogbomoso indigenes into strategic federal positions, including Zacch Adedeji as Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Debo Adedokun as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement.
