Tinubu’s Three Years Show Progress, But More Work Needed — Adesanya-Davies

Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for what she described as significant reforms and interventions recorded in its first three years, while calling for greater focus on the challenges still confronting Nigerians.

Adesanya-Davies, a former presidential candidate and public affairs commentator, said the Tinubu administration should be assessed not only by the reforms it had initiated but also by the extent to which those policies had improved the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

She acknowledged that the administration inherited significant economic challenges and subsequently introduced major reforms, particularly in fuel subsidy policy, foreign exchange management, revenue mobilisation and economic restructuring.

According to her, the reforms had contributed to efforts to restore macroeconomic stability, strengthen government finances and reposition the economy, but their benefits must increasingly translate into tangible relief for households.

She identified infrastructure development, healthcare renewal, student financing, agricultural interventions, housing, digital economy initiatives and petroleum-sector reforms among areas where the administration had recorded progress.

Adesanya-Davies also cited government interventions in primary healthcare, including the reported revitalisation of nearly 3,000 primary healthcare centres and the development of emergency healthcare systems.

She, however, stressed that infrastructure and policy initiatives should not remain programmes on paper, but should be measured by their impact on citizens.

On the challenges ahead, she listed the cost of living, food security, job creation, electricity supply, insecurity, education, healthcare, social protection and public-sector accountability as priority areas requiring sustained attention.

She urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to reduce the pressure of food, transportation, electricity and other essential costs on households.

On agriculture, she called for greater investment in irrigation, storage, rural roads, mechanisation, agricultural security, credit facilities and domestic food-processing capacity to move the country from emergency food interventions to sustainable food security.

Adesanya-Davies also stressed the need for economic growth to generate productive employment, particularly for young Nigerians entering the labour market.

She said reliable and affordable electricity remained essential to the growth of manufacturing, agriculture, education, healthcare and small businesses, urging continued attention to power-sector reforms.

On security, she called for sustained efforts against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence, noting that citizens must be able to farm, travel, trade and conduct their businesses safely.

She further urged the government to complement student financing with increased investment in public primary, secondary and tertiary education, including teachers, laboratories, research, technical education and vocational training.

While commending the rehabilitation of healthcare facilities, she said the government must ensure that such facilities have adequate personnel, medicines, equipment, electricity, water and sustainable funding.

Adesanya-Davies also advocated stronger and more transparent social protection programmes capable of reaching vulnerable households, alongside improved procurement oversight and accountability in the management of public resources.

She called for deeper cooperation among the federal, state and local governments, particularly in sectors such as education, healthcare, roads, security, water and agriculture.

For the next phase of the administration, Adesanya-Davies proposed a shift from economic reforms to household relief, from infrastructure announcements to completed projects, from economic growth to mass employment, and from security operations to sustainable peace and economic security.

She also called for government programmes to have clear targets, timelines, funding information and measurable outcomes.

On political and structural reforms, she urged movement towards functional restructuring and geopolitical regionalisation, saying such reforms should equally be guided by clear targets and measurable outcomes.

Adesanya-Davies said the first three years of the Tinubu administration should neither be portrayed as a period in which every challenge had been solved nor dismissed as one without progress.

She said the priority should now be to consolidate existing gains while addressing areas where Nigerians continue to experience hardship.

“The work of nation-building does not end with economic reform. The ultimate test of reform is whether the Nigerian family can feel the difference.”

She therefore urged President Tinubu to consolidate the gains of his administration while accelerating action on unfinished priorities as he seeks another four-year tenure.