By Danladi Ahmed
The Tinubu Stakeholders Forum (TSF) says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s acceptance speech after securing the ruling party’s mandate for a second term has placed the 2027 election in its proper national context.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Ahmad Sajoh and Secretary Danjuma Sada, the group described it as a choice between consolidating difficult but necessary reforms and returning Nigeria to the failed policies that weakened the economy for years.
TSF argued that President Tinubu’s speech after accepting the presidential nomination of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not merely a political declaration, but a clear policy statement on continuity, national recovery, security, productivity and democratic consolidation.
According to the Forum, President Tinubu’s message was significant because it does not pretend that Nigeria’s challenges have disappeared. Rather, it acknowledges the pressure facing citizens while making the case that the responsible path is to deepen reforms, protect early gains and prevent a reversal to policies that produced fiscal instability, weak public investment, infrastructure decay and economic vulnerability.
“Nigeria cannot afford to treat 2027 as a referendum on temporary discomfort alone. It must be seen as a national decision on whether the country will consolidate reforms or return to the failed choices that created the crisis in the first place,” TSF said.
The Forum noted that President Tinubu’s speech correctly framed continuity as a matter of national responsibility, not political convenience.
“Like many people, we are aware that the first phase of the administration has been devoted to correcting structural distortions in subsidy payments, foreign exchange management, revenue mobilisation, public finance and investment planning.
“And while these reforms have come with difficult adjustment pressures, abandoning them midway would expose the country to greater instability and reverse the foundations already being laid for recovery, investment, productivity and inclusive growth.
“For us, the President’s reference to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund was particularly important because it shows that reform is not only about macroeconomic stability, but also about expanding opportunity for ordinary Nigerians.
“In two years, we have seen how the education loan scheme has opened a new pathway for students from low and middle-income families to access tertiary education without being shut out by financial hardship.
“It is one of the strongest examples of how the administration is using public policy to promote social mobility, youth empowerment and human capital development,” the group added.
On the power sector, TSF welcomed the President’s emphasis on metering, debt settlement and sector bankability.
“The Presidential Metering Initiative as well as efforts to close the metering gap, and the structured settlement of verified legacy debts owed to generation companies and gas suppliers are necessary steps toward rebuilding confidence in the electricity value chain.
“We believe that we cannot achieve industrialisation, manufacturing expansion, digital growth or small business competitiveness without a power sector that is financially stable, investable and capable of delivering reliable electricity to homes and industries.
“So Power reform is not a slogan. It requires metering, liquidity, investor confidence, gas supply stability and disciplined regulation. The Tinubu administration is addressing the foundations that previous governments avoided or postponed,” TSF said.
On the economy, the Forum said the President’s defence of subsidy removal, exchange rate reform, new tax laws and improved fiscal coordination should be understood within the broader need to move Nigeria away from wasteful consumption subsidies and weak revenue systems toward a more productive national economy.
TSF said the removal of distortions in the economy is already helping to restore the basis for stronger reserves, improved revenue performance, better investment planning and more credible public finance.
It, however, urged the Federal Government to continue expanding targeted support for vulnerable households, workers, small businesses, students and farmers so that the benefits of reform can reach citizens faster and more visibly.
TSF also cautioned opposition politicians against criticising without presenting credible alternatives, saying Nigeria’s challenges require practical plans, not slogans.
“Those who seek to lead the country must explain whether they intend to reverse subsidy reforms, return to multiple exchange rates, weaken fiscal discipline, abandon power sector restructuring, halt strategic capital projects or dismantle the reforms now restoring investor confidence.
“The President, on his part, has made it clear that the work is unfinisHonesty is important. The answer to unfinished reform is not reversal; it is disciplined continuity, faster implementation and stronger delivery.
“President Tinubu’s acceptance speech has offered Nigerians a clear choice: to consolidate progress or risk reversal; to build on reform or retreat into the past; to strengthen the foundations of a modern Nigeria or return to the policies that held the country down,” it noted.
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