The All Progressives Congress, APC, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying Nigerians now have stronger reasons to be confident about the country’s future.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the country President Tinubu inherited in 2023 was far different from the Nigeria of today.
Morka spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics while responding to questions on the impact of the administration’s reforms.
According to him, the state of the nation under Tinubu cannot be fairly compared with what existed before the President assumed office in May 2023.
“I think that Nigerians have every reason to feel more confident about their country and, therefore, more hopeful about the future, because the state of affairs in this country as of 2023 compared to today is actually like comparing night and day,” he said.
Morka said the major economic indicators before Tinubu took over did not reflect the real condition of the economy.
He argued that the foreign exchange market, fuel subsidy regime and other sectors were heavily distorted.
“As of May 2023, this country was not doing well. All of the fundamental numbers were off.
“From the exchange rates to just basic living, it was all phantom. A lot of it was phantom, and I say ‘phantom’ because it was not real because the distortions in the economy were overwhelming in every facet,” he said.
The APC spokesman said many of the challenges Nigerians are facing today must be understood against the background of the structural problems inherited by the administration.
He said it would be difficult to compare 2023 with the current situation without first recognising that the old economic system was built on distortions.
“So it’s difficult to make that comparison between 2023 and 2025 because a lot of what you had then was unreal, and that’s the distortion that this government keeps talking about,” he said.
Morka said Tinubu had taken bold steps to confront the root causes of Nigeria’s economic problems.
He listed the removal of fuel subsidy and reforms in the foreign exchange market as part of measures taken by the President to reset the economy.
“What this president has done since 2023 is to really tackle the root causes of all of those distortions — whether it was the fuel subsidy or whether it was the crazy arbitrage in the foreign exchange system. None of that was real,” he said.
Morka added that Nigerians were now dealing with a more realistic economy, even though the reforms had come with hardship.
According to him, planning with real economic figures gives the country a better chance of achieving sustainable results.
“And so what Nigerians are dealing with today is closer to reality. And when you plan with reality, then you are more likely to actually have outcomes and results that are more realistic, more defensible, and more promising in terms of the future,” he stated.
The APC spokesman also pointed to Nigeria’s foreign reserves and growing investor interest as signs that the reforms were beginning to produce results.
He said the world was taking Nigeria more seriously because of the economic decisions taken by the Tinubu administration.
“And today, like you said, we’ve gone from 50 billion. That counts for something because the world is taking us more seriously today, which is why you see a lot of investment, new investment coming in, in all the sectors, whether it’s oil and gas or other sectors,” he said.
“People are coming in to invest because they have more confidence,” Morka added.
Tinubu’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and changes in the foreign exchange system, have drawn mixed reactions across the country.
While critics say the policies have worsened hardship, the APC insists they are necessary steps to correct long-standing distortions and place Nigeria on a stronger path.
