Tinubu’s reforms aim to address past mistakes  — Minister

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said that the Tinubu administration’s primary goal is to rectify historical missteps and not impose hardship on Nigerians.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday during a briefing for the Diplomatic Community on recent nationwide protests, Idris stressed that the President is committed to implementing reforms aimed at driving sustainable growth and improving citizens’ quality of life.

“It is important to kick off on this note: President Tinubu did not come to office to cause hardship or make life difficult for Nigerians. He has come to office with bold solutions to historical problems, with the determination to correct many of the poor policies and dysfunctional choices that have held us back as a nation for decades,” Idris stated.

Nigerians have been protesting the rising cost of living as a result of the government’s economic policies, which protesters say have inflicted pain on the citizens.

Though Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday to address the protesters’ demands, called the protesters to the dialogue table, they dismissed it.

The minister, acknowledging the current hardships, noted that the administration’s decisive actions, including the painful abolition of the fuel subsidy, were aimed at redirecting funds towards critical sectors like healthcare, education, infrastructure, and security.

“The costly, wasteful, and unsustainable fuel subsidy regime had denied Nigeria the opportunity to invest in critical infrastructure, social services, and the welfare of its citizens,” Idris said.

Acknowledging the transitional pains from these reforms, Idris highlighted comprehensive intervention programmes designed by the Federal Government to alleviate the impact on Nigerians.

Addressing the nationwide protests, Idris affirmed the government’s respect for peaceful assembly and freedom of expression but noted that the protests were hijacked by violent elements, leading to arson, vandalism, and loss of lives and property.

He assured that the Federal Government acted swiftly to restore peace and is investigating the violence to bring perpetrators to justice.

“We are committed to preventing the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents in the future,” Idris concluded.