When discussions about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration come up, the first thing many Nigerians talk about is hardship. That reaction is understandable. The cost of living has increased, transportation has become more expensive, and many families are struggling to make ends meet.
But while it is important to acknowledge these realities, it is also important to ask a simple question: Why were these difficult decisions taken in the first place?
The truth is that President Tinubu inherited an economy facing serious structural problems. For years, Nigeria was spending huge amounts of money on fuel subsidies. The foreign exchange system was distorted. Government revenues were under pressure, debt obligations were rising, and many difficult economic decisions had been postponed by successive administrations.
Whether one agrees with all his policies or not, one thing is difficult to deny: President Tinubu chose to confront problems that many leaders before him knew existed but were reluctant to tackle because of the political consequences.
Take fuel subsidy removal, for example. For decades, Nigeria spent trillions of naira subsidizing petrol. While the intention was to help citizens, the system became riddled with abuse. Smugglers, middlemen, and powerful interests often benefited more than ordinary Nigerians. Huge sums that could have gone into roads, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure were being consumed by a subsidy system that many experts considered unsustainable.
Today, one of the consequences of subsidy removal is that federal, state, and local governments have more resources available to them than before. Many states now receive significantly higher allocations. The challenge, of course, is ensuring that these funds are used responsibly and transparently for the benefit of citizens.
Another major reform has been the restructuring of the foreign exchange market. For years, Nigeria operated multiple exchange rates, creating opportunities for a privileged few to buy dollars at one rate and sell them at another for enormous profits. This encouraged corruption and discouraged investment. The Tinubu administration’s reforms seek to create a more transparent and market-driven system. The transition has been painful, but the goal is to build a stronger and more sustainable economy.
The administration has also focused on restoring investor confidence. Investors generally prefer countries where policies are predictable and transparent. When investors bring capital into a country, businesses grow, industries expand, and jobs are created. These things do not happen overnight, but creating the right environment is often the first step.
Infrastructure development has also remained a priority. Roads, transportation networks, energy projects, and other critical infrastructure are necessary for economic growth. Every successful economy depends on strong infrastructure to reduce the cost of doing business and improve the quality of life for its citizens.
Support for small businesses is another area that deserves attention. Small and medium-sized enterprises remain the backbone of Nigeria’s economy. They provide employment, support local production, and help drive economic activity. Strengthening these businesses is essential if Nigeria is to create more jobs and reduce unemployment.
Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of the Tinubu administration is its willingness to address structural problems that previous governments often avoided. For years, experts warned that fuel subsidies and foreign exchange distortions were unsustainable. Many governments understood the problem but hesitated to act because of the political cost involved. President Tinubu chose a different path.
Now, this brings us to an important point that many people overlook.
One of the biggest misconceptions in governance is the belief that every reform should produce immediate results. In reality, some of the most important reforms take years before their full benefits become visible.
A farmer does not plant a seed today and harvest tomorrow. A builder does not lay a foundation today and complete a skyscraper next week. The same principle applies to nations.
Many of the reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration are foundational. They are designed to correct problems that accumulated over decades. Fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms, tax reforms, and efforts to improve public finances are not policies whose success can be judged within a few months. They are intended to create conditions for future growth, investment, job creation, and economic stability.
Think of it like building a house. Before anyone sees the walls, the roof, or the beautiful finishing, a great deal of work must be done underground. To an outsider, it may appear that nothing is happening because the most important work is hidden from view. Yet every engineer knows that the strength of the building depends on the quality of its foundation.
In many ways, Nigeria is currently in that foundation-laying stage.
For decades, difficult decisions were postponed. Problems accumulated.
Distortions grew. The Tinubu administration has chosen to address many of those issues directly. That does not mean citizens should stop demanding accountability or questioning government policies. In a democracy, scrutiny is necessary. However, it is also important to recognize that some reforms require patience and consistency before results become evident.
This is where consolidation becomes critical.
Starting reforms is one thing; sustaining them is another. Around the world, many countries have initiated reforms only to abandon them halfway. When that happens, the expected benefits often fail to materialize. Investors lose confidence, uncertainty increases, and economic difficulties persist.
The challenge facing Nigeria today is not merely to begin reforms but to consolidate them. That means strengthening institutions, improving implementation, correcting mistakes where necessary, and ensuring that the gains already achieved are not reversed.
Supporters of the administration argue that Nigeria has reached a point where temporary discomfort may be necessary to secure long-term stability.
Reasonable people may disagree on specific policies, but there is growing recognition that sustainable development cannot be built on short-term fixes alone. It requires systems and institutions that can endure beyond a single administration.
The true test of these reforms will not be found in today’s headlines or social media debates. It will be found in the condition of Nigeria five, ten, or twenty years from now. If these reforms result in stronger public finances, increased investment, better infrastructure, greater industrialization, and more opportunities for ordinary Nigerians, history may well regard this period as a turning point.
This does not mean all problems have been solved. Inflation remains high. Many families continue to face economic hardship. Security concerns remain. Unemployment is still a challenge. These realities cannot and should not be ignored.
However, it is also important to recognize that meaningful change often comes with short-term sacrifice before long-term benefits become visible.
As Nigerians assess the performance of President Tinubu’s administration, perhaps the most important question is not whether the journey has been difficult—it clearly has been. The more important question is whether the country is moving toward a stronger and more sustainable future.
The answer is certainly yes.
The believe the foundation has largely been laid. The task now is to consolidate those gains, remain focused on implementation, and ensure that future generations inherit a nation built on stronger economic foundations than those of the past.
Only time will ultimately determine the success of these reforms. But for now, the argument of the administration is clear. The difficult work of rebuilding has begun, and the rewards, while not immediate, is worth the wait.
At this point, it is important to understand a fundamental economic reality. Government alone cannot employ millions of Nigerians. No successful economy in the world was built on government employment alone. The primary responsibility of government is to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive, investors can commit capital with confidence, industries can grow, and entrepreneurs can create sustainable jobs and wealth.
This is precisely how many of the world’s most successful economies developed. Governments invested in infrastructure, improved the ease of doing business, strengthened institutions, expanded access to education, encouraged industrialization, and created policies that attracted investment. The private sector then became the engine of job creation and economic growth.
History also teaches us that major economic reforms are rarely painless. Whether in Asia, Europe, or other parts of the world, difficult reforms often produced short-term hardship before yielding long-term benefits. The transformation of many countries that are admired today did not happen overnight. Their progress was built through years of sacrifice, discipline, consistency, and sustained policy implementation.
One thing Nigerians must understand is that we did not arrive at our current economic challenges overnight. Many of the structural weaknesses confronting the nation accumulated gradually over several decades. It would therefore be unrealistic to expect them to disappear within a few months or even a few years.
Again, government should not be expected to create jobs directly for every citizen. Rather, its primary responsibility is to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive, investments can grow, entrepreneurship can flourish, and the private sector can generate sustainable employment opportunities.
In every major reform process, there is often a period of hardship before the benefits become visible. That’s it what this government is doing.
Unfortunately, our miracle mentality sometimes causes us to expect immediate results from complex reforms. Development does not happen by magic. It is a gradual process that requires patience, resilience, productivity, innovation, and long-term planning. Rather than expecting overnight transformation/ ‘miracles’ we should move away from this mindset and focus on building strong institutions, improving infrastructure, expanding educational opportunities, encouraging enterprise, and supporting industrial growth accountability, and nation-building.
This does not mean government should be exempt from criticism or accountability. Far from it. Citizens have every right to demand transparency, competence, and measurable results. However, fairness also requires an appreciation of the fact that sustainable economic progress is a marathon, not a sprint. The true test of any reform agenda lies not in its immediate popularity but in its ability to deliver lasting improvements in productivity, investment, job creation, and the overall quality of life of citizens.
-Sola Adeola is a governance analyst, writer, and Public Affairs Commentator, Abuja
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(The Whistler)
