Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said Nigeria is on the right path under President Bola Tinubu, even though many Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of the government’s economic policies.
Dogara made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he defended Tinubu’s performance and argued for continuity in governance.
Asked to assess the state of the nation and whether the president had delivered on his campaign promises, Dogara said Tinubu had made key commitments, including “improving the economy, strengthening security, and implementing long-term systemic reforms.”
“I think we are on the right track, even if people are not feeling it,” Dogara said. “When we talk about the challenges relating to security, that’s taken us how many years to get to the point where President Tinubu took over.
“There’s nobody with a magical wand that can make everything disappear overnight. But from the time he assumed office until now, we have seen leadership in areas that were previously neglected.”
He noted that while progress was becoming evident in some sectors, the full benefits of the reforms would take time to materialise.
Dogara also recalled the level of insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria before Tinubu assumed office, describing the fragile state of the country at the time.
“In those days, if you were asked to travel to Kaduna, you would hesitate. Travel to southern Borno, Adamawa, or other northern regions for Christmas or any holiday was unthinkable. But today, we are beginning to see improvements,” he said.
On the economy, Dogara argued that many Nigerians had underestimated the depth of the problems inherited by the current administration. “In terms of the economic collapse of this nation, I don’t know whether we sincerely appreciate where we were coming from. The president does not share blame; he believes apportioning blame is not the path an effective leader takes,” he said.
While acknowledging public hardship, Dogara maintained that reforms were necessary and that the country had begun to make progress, even if the gains were uneven.
“If we were to really articulate where Nigeria was at the time he took over, to what has been achieved so far, you would give him below 60%. Although an argument can be made that some people are feeling the pinch, reforms are absolutely necessary,” he said.
“Things that have suffered years of decay cannot be fully reversed within two years. But we have seen that there is light at the end of the tunnel if these reforms are allowed to endure. Some of these reforms will take time before they yield results.”