Opinion: You Cannot Praise Tinubu’s Ministers and Deny Him Credit

By Sunday Oladapo

There is a contradiction in Nigeria’s political conversation that deserves honest reflection.
Every day, we hear critics declare that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is failing and that his administration has achieved little. Yet, in the same conversation, many of those critics are quick to praise some of the very people serving in his government.

David Umahi is widely applauded for road infrastructure. Nyesom Wike is credited with transforming Abuja. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is recognised for reforms in the Interior Ministry. Olayemi Cardoso has restored confidence in the Central Bank, while Bosun Tijani is earning praise for driving Nigeria’s digital economy. Adegboyega Oyetola is quietly laying the foundation for the country’s blue economy.

The question is simple: who appointed these officials?

The answer is President Tinubu.

Leadership is not only about making speeches or signing documents. One of the greatest tests of leadership is the ability to identify competent people, place them in positions where they can succeed, and give them the support needed to deliver results.
That is exactly what this administration appears to have done.

No minister operates in isolation. Every major project, every policy reform and every institutional change requires presidential approval, budgetary support and political backing. Praising ministers while denying the President any credit ignores how government functions.

This does not mean every challenge facing Nigeria has disappeared. Inflation, the high cost of living and economic hardship remain genuine concerns for millions of Nigerians. Citizens have every right to demand better outcomes from their government.
However, fairness also demands acknowledging what is working.

If Nigerians celebrate Umahi’s highways, Wike’s infrastructure projects, Tunji-Ojo’s passport reforms, Cardoso’s monetary discipline, Tijani’s innovation agenda and Oyetola’s maritime reforms, then it is only logical to recognise the President who assembled that team.

The success of an administration cannot be measured only by today’s economic pains. Structural reforms are often difficult before they begin to produce lasting benefits. Nations are not transformed overnight, and rebuilding institutions rarely comes without sacrifice.

President Tinubu once reportedly said he only needed a handful of competent and honest Nigerians to help turn the country’s fortunes around. Whether one agrees with his politics or not, many of his appointments have demonstrated competence in their respective sectors.

History often judges leaders not only by what they personally accomplished but by the quality of the people they empowered.

For that reason, it is difficult to applaud the performers in Tinubu’s cabinet while insisting the man who selected and entrusted them with those responsibilities deserves no recognition.

One may disagree with the President’s policies or question the pace of his reforms. That is the essence of democracy. But consistency requires that if the ministers deserve applause for delivering results, the President who brought them together should also receive his fair share of the credit.
That is not partisan politics.

It is simply acknowledging the relationship between leadership, appointments and performance.

Sunday Oladapo writes from Abuja.