Reforms Difficult But Necessary – President Tinubu

By Ayodele Oni

President Bola Tinubu has admitted that Nigeria is presently undergoing one of the most ambitious periods of reforms in its history.

He however maintained that the reforms, though difficult, are necessary  undertaken by the administration and  are yielding results.

The president spoke Thursday at the maiden dinner for State House Correspondents in Abuja.

Listing results of the reforms, Tinubu stated that “Our economy is stabilising. Public revenues have strengthened significantly. State governments are receiving substantially higher allocations to support development. Investor confidence is returning.

“Our foreign reserves have improved considerably. The oil and gas sector is attracting renewed investment. The stock market has witnessed remarkable growth.

“Key economic indicators are moving in the right direction. Through tax reforms, fiscal reforms, infrastructure investments, and improvements in the business environment, we are laying the foundations for a more competitive, productive, and prosperous economy.

“The journey is not yet complete. Challenges remain. But the direction is clear, and the foundations for long-term growth are being firmly established.”

Regarding security, he said that “our administration has maintained a determined, multi-dimensional approach.

“Military operations have intensified across several theatres. Intelligence gathering has improved. Inter-agency collaboration has strengthened. Regional and international cooperation has expanded.

“As a result, thousands of criminal elements and terrorists have been neutralised. Numerous hostages have been rescued.

“Communities previously under threat have been reclaimed.

Security agencies continue to demonstrate courage and professionalism in confronting terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, oil theft, and other forms of criminality.

“While Nigeria continues to face security challenges, we have moved steadily from reacting to threats toward systematically degrading them.

“We remain resolute in our commitment to securing every part of our country and ensuring that every Nigerian can live, work, and prosper in peace.”

President Tinubu assured the media that laws such as cybercrime act and others are not intended to gag the press.

“The media space is no longer an unregulated frontier. Nigeria has enacted laws, including the Cybercrimes Act and other relevant legislation, to protect citizens from malicious falsehoods, cyberstalking, identity theft, and other abuses that increasingly accompany the digital age.

“These safeguards are not intended to weaken press freedom. Rather, they exist to protect citizens and preserve the integrity of our information ecosystem.”

He charged media practitioners to be partners, stressing that “Democracy is stymied without a free press. The fourth estate of the realm must be a free estate, and not a fief.

“However, where there is enormous power, there should be accountability and responsibility. The ethics of the profession must be considered sacred and upheld by practitioners.

“The recurring incidents of misinformation, disinformation, fake news, voice and facial cloning and deep fakes are concerning.

“These are the drawbacks of the social media age. Media practitioners should not be willing couriers of falsehood or unverified information injurious to national security and the nation.”