Nigerian politician, Doyin Okupe, has urged Nigerians not to hold President Bola Ahmed Tinubu accountable for the failures of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Okupe, in an interview with The Sun, described the current political landscape as the result of a fractured party system.
“The APC is a conglomerate of strange bedfellows,” Okupe said, pointing to the merger of groups like the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as a key problem.
According to him, this alliance created an unstable foundation for governance.
He stressed that Tinubu’s administration should be judged independently.
“Tinubu cannot be held responsible for the government before him,” Okupe stated firmly.
While acknowledging Tinubu’s role in bringing Buhari to power, he insisted that the current administration must be assessed on its own merits.
Okupe dismissed widespread concerns about a collapsing economy and dwindling foreign investments.
He cited recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as evidence of economic progress.
“The GDP grew by 3%,” he noted, adding that there were notable improvements in the manufacturing sector in the last quarter.
He also claimed that foreign direct investment is on the rise.
Okupe highlighted Tinubu’s efforts to resolve pressing financial issues.
“Tinubu’s administration has already settled $7 billion owed to international airlines,” he stated.
He urged Nigerians to adopt a realistic outlook on the country’s challenges.
According to Okupe, the problems inherited from the previous administration cannot be fixed overnight.
“The lifespan of an administration is four years,” he reminded.
He emphasized that the damage done over eight years cannot be repaired in just 18 months.
“It cannot,” he said emphatically.
Okupe also addressed the growing issue of out-of-school children and youth restiveness in the North.
He linked this to the neglect of social programs initiated by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The Almajiri schools were abandoned,” he lamented.
Okupe praised Tinubu’s reformist agenda, likening his vision to that of Lee Kuan Yew, who transformed Singapore over several decades.
“We’ve got a reformer in the villa,” he declared.
He described Tinubu as someone who takes responsibility and is committed to reforming Nigeria.
“This is a leader who says, ‘I take responsibility, and I’m going to try to reform this country,’” Okupe added.
He called on Nigerians to support Tinubu’s reforms rather than criticize the administration.
“Let us agree, let us be factual,” he urged.
Okupe stressed the importance of unity and national support in achieving the government’s objectives.
