Gowon
Nigeria making progress under Tinubu, says Gowon
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, stating that Nigeria is making progress across multiple sectors under his administration.
Speaking with journalists on Saturday after visiting President Tinubu at the State House, Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, the elder statesman commended the President’s efforts in tackling the nation’s challenges.
According to Gowon, Tinubu is “doing the best he can all round” in political, economic, social, and security matters, and there was no particular area requiring improvement.
“As far as it goes, isn’t he doing the best he can all round? So, there is no particular place. Every other area — political, economic, social — and of course the major problem that we have today, security, he is doing everything to deal with those for the good of Nigeria,” Gowon stated.
The former Head of State explained that his visit was to thank the President for his efforts and acknowledge the progress Nigeria is recording under the current administration.
He dismissed suggestions that Tinubu needed to focus on any specific area, emphasising that the President must look after Nigeria’s interests comprehensively.
On the country’s persistent security challenges, particularly in the Northeast where insurgents have intensified attacks on military formations, Gowon expressed confidence in Tinubu’s approach, assuring Nigerians that the government is handling the situation appropriately.
“The major problem that we have today, he is doing everything to deal with those for the good of Nigeria and for the good of all Nigerians,” he said.
When asked about recent developments in the country given his reputation as a voice of peace, Gowon asserted that only President Tinubu could rally Nigeria through its current challenges. He added that the administration is handling matters without creating additional problems for the nation.
“I can assure you, the government is handling it the best it can to ensure that Nigeria, in the end, achieves the peace that it deserves, that it requires and it deserves,” he stated.
Gowon, who ruled Nigeria from 1966 to 1975 and remains the country’s longest-serving head of state, has maintained an active role in national discourse, often attending past meetings of the National Council of State virtually.
His visit comes amid ongoing criticism from the opposition over rising insecurity, inflation, and the impact of economic reforms, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy implemented in June 2023.
The administration, however, has pointed to improvements in foreign reserves, crude oil production, and revenue generation as evidence of progress.
On Friday night, President Tinubu told media proprietors and executives that Nigeria had been pulled back from the brink of economic collapse and urged them to hold state and local governments accountable with the same scrutiny applied to the Federal Government.
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