The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying they are laying a solid foundation for a stronger, more productive and prosperous Nigeria.
Yilwatda said the reforms had received recognition from major international economic institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), describing them as necessary steps towards repositioning the country’s economy for sustainable growth.
The APC chairman spoke in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during a rally organised to welcome President Tinubu and his entourage at the Senator Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, Yilwatda acknowledged that the reforms had brought difficult economic adjustments but warned that abandoning them would reverse the progress made and return the country to the economic challenges that necessitated the policies.
He described Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy as a strategic national development target rather than a mere political aspiration, noting that the objective was supported by deliberate policy decisions and ongoing economic restructuring.
According to him, investments in infrastructure, transportation, education, maritime development and financial inclusion remain central to the administration’s economic transformation agenda.
He particularly identified the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a landmark project expected to improve connectivity, boost commercial activities and unlock economic opportunities for Akwa Ibom and other coastal communities.
Yilwatda also said the Federal Government’s commitment to developing the maritime sector would strengthen the competitiveness of coastal states and increase their contributions to national economic development.
On education and social welfare, he commended the student loan initiative for expanding access to higher education, while highlighting interventions targeting women and small businesses as measures to promote wider economic participation.
He explained that the tax reforms were designed to reduce the burden on low-income earners and small businesses, allowing them to retain more of their earnings and operate in a more favourable business environment.
The APC chairman further cited improved industrial harmony in educational institutions and efforts to settle outstanding obligations to workers, pensioners and retirees of formerly privatised public enterprises as significant achievements of the administration.
Urging Nigerians to remain committed to the reform process, Yilwatda declared, “Never again should Nigeria return to Egypt. We cannot afford to abandon the difficult but necessary work of rebuilding our economy and repositioning our country for sustainable growth.”
He maintained that the Tinubu administration’s policies and investments were positioning Nigeria for long-term prosperity, urging citizens to support the President’s vision of building a stronger and more economically competitive nation.
