Safeguard Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, APC chieftain tells Presidency in open letter
A foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has issued an open letter to the Presidential Economic Team, calling for immediate action to address Nigeria’s economic challenges.
He warned that the current trajectory threatens to derail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, designed to uplift millions of Nigerians from poverty.
In the letter, Okechukwu emphasized that economic hardship and public discontent could undermine the APC’s prospects in the 2027 general elections.
He expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s vision to consolidate Nigeria’s neoliberal capitalist framework through bold reforms, but lamented what he described as a failure by the Presidential Economic Team to align with this vision.
“President Tinubu has shown a commitment to leveraging Nigeria’s demographic youth advantage in an aging world,” he wrote.
“However, it’s alarming that only 25% of the 2024 capital budget has been released, even as the nation operates multiple budgets amidst huge debts, increased tariffs, and excessive taxation.”
Highlighting the administration’s achievements, Okechukwu noted that key revenue-generating agencies such as the NNPC, Nigeria Customs, and FIRS have exceeded their 2024 revenue targets. Despite this progress, he criticized the lack of transparency regarding funds accrued from the removal of the fuel subsidy, a reform touted by President Tinubu in his July 2023 broadcast.
In the broadcast, Tinubu had stated, “To be blunt, Nigeria could never become the society it was intended to be as long as such small, powerful yet unelected groups hold enormous influence over our political economy… If we are to be a democracy, the people and not the power of money must be sovereign.”
Okechukwu expressed disappointment that the Presidential Economic Team has not disclosed how much revenue was generated from the subsidy removal, despite demands from the National Assembly’s Joint Appropriation, Budget, and Finance Committees.
He also referenced the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) under the late General Sani Abacha, urging the team to emulate its approach by channeling savings into social and physical infrastructure.
“Let us heed Albert Einstein’s wisdom: it is illogical to keep doing the same thing and expect different results,” he advised.
In conclusion, Okechukwu called on the Presidential Economic Team to prioritize transparency and align with Tinubu’s agenda, ensuring Nigerians can experience economic relief and renewed hope.
He expressed optimism that Tinubu’s administration could secure a second term if economic policies are recalibrated to address current challenges effectively.
