Tinubu Says He Is Correcting Past Mistakes, And Asks For More Time

Geo-Political News

Abuja · Saturday 26 September 2026

President Bola Tinubu has asked Nigerians for more time to finish his reforms, saying his government is correcting the mistakes of past administrations. The message, delivered on his behalf at a prayer session at the National Mosque in Abuja ahead of Nigeria's 66th Independence anniversary, was widely reported as a plea to be re-elected in 2027.

abuja national mosque dome architecture Photograph by AMIR ASYRAF via Unsplash.

What "correcting past mistakes" refers to

Principally two decisions from his first weeks in office in 2023: ending the petrol subsidy and unifying the exchange rate. Both were long recommended by economists and avoided by his predecessors because the short-term pain was guaranteed. Both produced exactly that pain, in food prices, transport costs and the value of salaries.

The case he is making	The case against
The subsidy was unaffordable	The savings are not visible in daily life
A single exchange rate ended arbitrage	The naira lost most of its value doing it
Reforms take longer than one term	Every government says that before an election

Both columns contain true statements. The election will decide which weighs more.

Where the subsidy money went. The largest share of the savings did not stay in Abuja. It went to the states through bigger monthly federal allocations, which is why Nigerians are now asking their governors, as much as the President, what they have done with it. A reform can be right at the centre and wasted at the edges.

"Give me time" is a fair request from a government that can show where the sacrifice went. It is a weak one from a government that cannot.

What would make the request land

Not a speech. A clear account, before 1 October, of what the subsidy savings have paid for, in roads, power, health or cash transfers, with numbers that can be checked. The President has asked for patience on the basis that the reforms are working. The Independence broadcast is the obvious place to prove it.

Reporting: Vanguard, Tribune Online, Peoples Gazette and LEADERSHIP.

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