Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has rated President Bola Tinubu’s administration 34 per cent, saying it has made progress in some areas but failed to do enough to address Nigeria’s wider challenges.
Makinde gave the assessment on Friday during an exclusive interview with ARISE News, where he was asked to evaluate the President’s performance across key areas of governance.
Explaining his rating, the governor said the score reflected the proportion of Nigerians who supported Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
“It’s just about the same percentage of the people that supported him in 2023. Thirty-four per cent,” Makinde said.
He argued that the President needed to win the support of Nigerians who voted against him in the last election to successfully implement his policies.
“You need the 67 per cent of Nigerians that were against him in 2023 to be on board
This is a massive number,” he said.
Despite his assessment, Makinde acknowledged some of the administration’s initiatives, particularly its efforts to establish state police.
The governor, who has consistently advocated decentralised policing, commended Tinubu for advancing the proposal, saying states should be allowed to establish their own police structures based on their capacity and readiness.
“The President has done well with the formation of the state police,” he said.
On education, Makinde also acknowledged the Federal Government’s student loan scheme but argued that providing financial assistance to students was only a small part of the reforms needed to improve the sector.
He said the government must also address teachers’ welfare and security in educational institutions to ensure that students receive quality education.
“Having money for students to go to school… is a small fraction of what they’re supposed to do,” Makinde said.
“You need the teachers that are motivated. You need even security” for educational institutions, he added.
According to him, education reforms should go beyond providing access to funding and ensure that young Nigerians acquire the skills and knowledge needed to secure employment or become entrepreneurs.
He said addressing some aspects of the sector was a step in the right direction but would not automatically resolve its underlying challenges.
“If you have three or four pockets and one is being addressed, I would say it’s a movement in the right direction.
“But that alone will not solidly ensure that our children have skills and knowledge that can either make them employable or turn them into entrepreneurs,” Makinde said.
The governor’s assessment comes amid his criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, which he has argued have not sufficiently translated into jobs, improved incomes and better living conditions for Nigerians.
Although he acknowledged some macroeconomic stabilisation under the administration, Makinde maintained that more coordinated measures were needed to address the country’s economic, security and educational challenges.
He has proposed his ‘Reset Nigeria’ agenda as an alternative approach to the policies of the current administration.
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