Dele Alake: No Civilian Government Has Embarked on Reforms as Comprehensive as Tinubu’s Since 1960

Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, says no civilian administration in Nigeria since independence in 1960 has implemented economic and social reforms as sweeping as those implemented by President Bola Tinubu.

Alake, who is also the spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the unveiling of the party’s 2027–2031 policy manifesto, titled From Reforms to Prosperity.

He said the manifesto was designed to move the country from economic stabilisation to industrialisation, improved security, agricultural expansion and inclusive growth.

“Every political party must articulate its programmes, its policies, its aspirations, its objectives, the reasons why it wants to be in government,” Alake said.

“And because we are doing this today underscores the fact that the APC is the most solid party in Nigeria; it’s the most purposive and purposeful party and, above all, it’s the most organised party in this country, as at today.

“Since 1960, till 2023, no civilian administration of this country had embarked on the massive, comprehensive, purposive, structural reforms spanning all strata of society, across all sectors and touching every endeavour of the Nigerian society like the Tinubu administration.”

The ADC campaign council spokesperson challenged critics of Tinubu’s government to a public debate over his claim, arguing that successive administrations had avoided difficult decisions because of political considerations.

Alake said Tinubu understood the potential political consequences of his economic policies but went ahead with them because he considered the country’s economic recovery more important than his political ambitions.

“Regardless of the political consequences, or even the president’s own political situation and aspirations, he carried out genuine structural reforms,” he said.

“And that is the kind of person Bola Ahmed Tinubu is. He does not think of himself; he thinks of the nation, and that is what a statesman should do.

“Ordinary politicians will think of the next election and avoid contentious policies that could probably mar their political aspirations. But not President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because he puts the nation ahead of himself.”

He said the president had confronted longstanding economic challenges despite the immediate hardship and political pressure associated with the decisions.

Alake cited the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market as major steps towards addressing structural weaknesses in the economy.

He said the subsidy regime had created financial leakages through smuggling and other practices, putting pressure on public finances.

The minister also said the former multiple exchange rate system allowed individuals with access to government officials and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) authorities to obtain dollars at official rates and resell them for profit without contributing to production.

“Some people, as you all know, would sit in their gardens or backyards without lifting a finger, simply because they had connections with CBN authorities or top government officials,” he said.

“With just a phone call, they would obtain millions of dollars at the official rate and, without leaving their seats in their gardens, send the money to the bureau de change.

“In the twinkle of an eye, they would become billionaires while sitting in their backyards, making no contribution to production in the economy to shore up the naira.”

Alake alleged that beneficiaries of the former subsidy and foreign exchange regimes had been using the media to criticise the Tinubu administration.

He urged Nigerians to support policy continuity, warning that abandoning the reform programme midway could undermine the gains already recorded.