Tinubu/Shettima PCC: Nigeria Must Sustain Economic Reform

**Aminat Hassan **in Abuja

One of the spoke persons of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) 2027, Segun Showunmi, has urged Nigerians to sustain President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration’s economic reform programme and consolidate what he described as the foundations of national renewal.

Showunmi, in an interactive session with journalists in Abuja yesterday argued that the country was at a defining moment in its development and needed continuity of policy direction, stronger institutions and accelerated implementation of reforms to achieve sustainable economic growth.

He said the 2027 presidential election would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to decide whether to continue with the current administration’s development agenda, expressing the conviction that a second term for Tinubu would offer an opportunity to deepen ongoing reforms and translate their expected benefits into improved living standards.

“My position is clear: I support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term because I believe Nigeria must keep moving forward,” Showunmi stated.

He maintained that the Nigerian project transcended individual politicians, political parties and electoral contests, describing the country’s long-term development as a collective responsibility requiring national unity, sustained investment and consistency of purpose.

According to him, Nigeria must not abandon its pursuit of prosperity but should consolidate ongoing efforts to build a more productive, stable and competitive economy.

Showunmi acknowledged that Nigeria had long faced structural economic challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited productivity and difficulties in converting its human and natural resources into broadly shared prosperity.

However, he expressed optimism that the country could overcome these constraints through sustained economic reforms, increased investment and stronger productive capacity.

He said the Tinubu administration had embarked on reforms intended to reposition the economy, address longstanding distortions, strengthen public finances and create conditions for sustainable growth.

The political advocate argued that the value of the reforms should ultimately be measured by their capacity to stimulate investment, generate employment, improve infrastructure, strengthen businesses and enhance the government’s ability to provide essential services.

“We are not simply trying to manage an economy. We are building the foundations of a nation that can compete, produce, innovate and prosper,” he said.

Showunmi maintained that countries which achieved lasting prosperity did so by sustaining their development ambitions, strengthening institutions and providing the policy stability required for productive investment to flourish.

He urged Nigerians to look beyond immediate political considerations and focus on the country’s development prospects over the next decade and beyond, including industrial expansion, infrastructure delivery, skills development and improved opportunities for businesses.

Explaining his support for Tinubu’s re-election, Showunmi identified leadership, policy direction, institutional capacity and the ability to mobilise citizens around a common national objective as important considerations in determining the country’s future.

He said the administration’s focus on economic restructuring, infrastructure, education, energy reform, investment mobilisation and public-sector institutions represented important areas of national development.

According to him, continuity in government would provide an opportunity to build on existing initiatives, strengthen implementation and accelerate progress towards the country’s economic objectives.

He nevertheless emphasised that the next phase of governance should place greater attention on delivering tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

“A second term should be a period of accelerated delivery, expanded opportunity and a more visible connection between national economic progress and household prosperity,” he stated.

Showunmi said Nigerians should expect the next phase of the administration’s agenda to produce stronger investment, increased domestic production, improved infrastructure, expanded opportunities for young people and a wider distribution of economic benefits.

Highlighting initiatives undertaken by the Tinubu administration since May 2023, Showunmi pointed to developments across education, electricity, transportation, agriculture, healthcare, taxation and public administration.

He cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as an additional avenue for eligible students to finance tertiary education, describing access to education as an important component of the country’s long-term human-capital development.

He said Nigeria’s young population represented a strategic national asset that required investment in knowledge, technical skills, digital capabilities and entrepreneurial development.

On electricity, he referenced the Electricity Act 2023, which provides a framework for states to develop electricity markets within the applicable legal and regulatory arrangements.

According to him, greater participation and investment in the electricity sector could create opportunities for locally responsive energy solutions and improved power supply.

Showunmi also identified major road projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway and Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway, as examples of the administration’s infrastructure ambitions.

He said transportation infrastructure remained essential to integrating the national economy, connecting communities to markets and lowering the cost of moving goods and services.

In agriculture, he called for a more commercially productive sector capable of feeding the population, supporting agro-industries and generating export earnings.

He also advocated improved access to essential healthcare services and a coherent public-finance and taxation framework capable of supporting infrastructure development while maintaining a competitive environment for businesses.

With the 2027 presidential election approaching, Showunmi urged Nigerians to support Tinubu for a second term, describing the choice as an opportunity to consolidate economic reforms and accelerate the country’s development agenda.

He said his position was based on the belief that continued policy direction would allow the government to build on initiatives already underway and pursue more ambitious economic and social outcomes.

He identified increased investment, industrial development, improved infrastructure, expanded youth opportunities, stronger communities and more widely shared prosperity as priorities for the next phase of governance.

Showunmi also called for a closer connection between national economic performance and improvements in household welfare, arguing that the benefits of development should be felt more directly by citizens.

He said the next phase of the administration should focus on translating national ambitions into practical outcomes that Nigerians could see and experience in their daily lives.

“My support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is an expression of this conviction. I believe his administration’s reform programme offers Nigeria an important opportunity to consolidate its economic foundations and accelerate the pursuit of inclusive prosperity,” he stated.

He urged citizens, entrepreneurs, workers, farmers and young people to contribute to the national development process through enterprise, investment, innovation and collective commitment to national progress.