Senior lawyer and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has said that President Bola Tinubu cannot deliver meaningful economic reform without changing the country’s political structure.
Agbakoba made the comment during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday. He argued that Nigeria’s current governance model is too centralised and must be overhauled if development is to reach ordinary Nigerians.
“He cannot achieve any meaningful economic reform in the context of the current political governance structure,” Agbakoba said.
He advised President Tinubu to take powers from the exclusive legislative list — which covers areas like policing, mining, and infrastructure — and give more authority to state governments. He also called for state governments to devolve real power to the 774 local government areas across the country.
Agbakoba said decentralising power would allow for more efficient delivery of essential services such as healthcare, education, jobs, and security at the grassroots level.
“Some call it restructuring, others say devolution or rebalancing. Whatever the name, we need to rejig Nigeria,” he said.
He added that while the National Bureau of Statistics recently announced a 3.3% GDP growth, the figures don’t reflect the daily reality of Nigerians struggling with the high cost of food and basic necessities.
“Nigerians are suffering. All they want are services — education, health, jobs, good pensions — not theories or data,” he stressed.
Agbakoba urged President Tinubu to use the remaining two years of his tenure with “vigour” to address these issues.