Real reasons Nigerians experience hardship under Tinubu – Bwala

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has defended the slow pace of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, citing Nigeria’s massive population of over 230 million and limited resources as the primary reasons citizens are not yet feeling the full impact of increased revenues.

The Presidency has appealed to Nigerians for patience regarding the ongoing economic reforms of the current administration, stating that the full benefits of these structural changes will take time to materialize. Speaking during a live appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Tuesday evening, the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, described the nation’s developmental trajectory as a slow, steady, and consistent process that the administration takes pride in. Bwala directly attributed the widespread economic hardship still being experienced across the federation to the steep imbalance between a rapidly expanding population and the country’s limited financial resources, warning that public expectations must remain measured.

Deconstructing the mathematical realities hindering immediate relief, the presidential spokesperson emphasized that despite noticeable boosts in federally generated revenue, the incoming funds remain insufficient to instantly close the massive infrastructural deficits affecting over 230 million citizens. Bwala maintained that the immediate outcome of these economic adjustments is currently reflected in the significantly increased statutory allocations being disbursed to state governments, which should ideally translate into localized relief programs. “The answer is simply population and resources. The population is over 230 million. The resources we have, however, the increased revenue is not enough,” Bwala stated, adding that, “The effect of that increased revenue is the increase allocation to states, which has resulted in state administering and which has also resulted in the impact on the people.”

When further pressed by news anchors on how these inflated federal allocations effectively improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians given the country’s historic battle with institutional corruption, the presidential aide argued that several state executives are already successfully deploying the extra funds to fight hunger through direct agricultural and food interventions. He firmly rejected assumptions that the administration’s policies are unfavorable to the masses, highlighting several targeted federal programs—such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transport mass transit rollout, and targeted health subsidies for critical procedures—as proof of an intentional social safety net. Defending the focus of the administration’s welfare interventions, Bwala concluded, “There are states you can point at tangible results… dealing with hunger by the provision of food and agricultural materials. For example, when we talk about over one million beneficiaries of NELFUND, these are not children of the rich. When we talk about transportation, the direct effect is on the poor man. Every policy introduced by this government, the direct beneficiaries are the poor.”

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