The Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC, Zahrah Mustapha-Audu, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s work remains unfinished, urging Nigerians to continue demanding improved living conditions, social amenities and infrastructure.
In an article made available to Voice of Nigeria, she said recognising the President’s achievements should not mean suspending scrutiny or lowering citizens’ expectations of government.
“I encourage us to all continue to demand results, demand better living conditions, social amenities and infrastructural development.”
She said the President’s political significance predates his assumption of office in 2023, citing his experience as a former Senator, pro-democracy figure, two-term Governor of Lagos State, opposition organiser and coalition builder.
Audu said the removal of petrol subsidy was one of the difficult decisions taken by the administration to address longstanding structural problems in the Nigerian economy.
READ ALSO: PEBEC Intensifies Reforms to Enhance Business Environment
She acknowledged that the reform had imposed genuine hardship on Nigerians, but argued that the country could not indefinitely sustain policies that had become increasingly costly.
“Leadership sometimes requires choosing not between difficulty and comfort, but between the difficulty of adjustment today and the greater danger of structural failure tomorrow.”
The PEBEC boss also highlighted reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business, saying government processes such as permits, customs procedures, company registration and regulatory approvals have direct implications for economic productivity.
She said the objective of the business-facilitation agenda was to reduce the institutional cost of doing business and make government an enabler rather than an obstacle to legitimate enterprise.
Audu further argued that President Tinubu had demonstrated a willingness to expend political capital on reforms whose benefits may take time to materialise.
She said Nigeria had produced several notable leaders, but described Tinubu’s political journey across different eras as unusual.
“The argument for President Tinubu as Nigeria’s greatest-ever leader therefore does not rest upon a single policy or moment. It rests upon the accumulation of political struggle, development of people, institutions and ultimately the accumulation of difficult decisions taken.”
Audu maintained that the President’s place in Nigerian history was already significant, while acknowledging that the final verdict on his administration would ultimately depend on its long-term outcomes.
She expressed confidence that posterity would judge President Tinubu favourably, saying his record should be assessed not only by the difficulties Nigerians face today but also by the institutions and economic foundations being developed for the future.
