Be patient with Tinubu, economic reforms have gestation period — APC Chieftain

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of the Tinubu Mandate Group (TMG), Pastor Olufemi Bakare, has urged Nigerians to exercise patience with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating that the president is laying a new foundation of accountability and restructuring the country’s economy.

Bakare made the appeal while reacting to the growing coalition between some influential figures within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), aimed at challenging and dislodging the current administration.

According to him, the ongoing socio-economic reforms initiated by President Tinubu are strategic and require time to yield results. He assured that once fully implemented, Nigerians would begin to reap the benefits of the administration’s policies.

Bakare said:
“Just like I said yesterday at a forum, when a child is to be born, the mother feels a lot of pain before experiencing joy. The pain we are feeling now is comparable to the pain of childbirth. But once the child is born, there is laughter on the mother’s face.

“We are going through that childbirth pain now. This is what Tinubu is trying to do—a new dimension of politics. It’s a fundamental economic restructuring of Nigeria. He is addressing the disequilibrium in our economy.

“President Tinubu is laying a new foundation of accountability and restructuring the economy in a visible way. You can see the impact. Many governors now have funds to execute projects. I was pleased to hear the Governor of Edo State say he has revived the state’s transportation system with about 100 big buses.

“Some past presidents would borrow money and pile up Nigeria’s debt, only for the funds to be squandered or looted. Even the recovered looted funds would be looted again. This is the sad cycle we’ve witnessed.”

Speaking on the emerging coalition, the APC chieftain predicted internal conflict among its members, arguing that they would not agree on a single candidate.

He described the coalition as a convergence of self-serving individuals, adding that President Tinubu genuinely has the country’s best interests at heart.

“These are the very people responsible for the socio-economic challenges Nigeria is facing,” Bakare said.
“The Bible says, ‘They shall surely gather, but if their gathering is not of the Lord, it shall be scattered.’ You will witness their internal battles because President Tinubu means well for Nigeria.

“They are the ones who have destroyed the soul and resources of Nigeria. Tinubu came to the rescue.”

On the credentials of some coalition members, especially those with military backgrounds, Pastor Bakare acknowledged their experience but dismissed their capacity to outsmart President Tinubu.

“Asiwaju is a master strategist—a man who plans. We’ve had presidents in the past who were handed the position without preparation. But this is a man who has long planned, laboured, and yearned to transform Nigeria for the better,” he stated.

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Addressing the country’s security challenges, particularly insurgency, Pastor Bakare described it as a systemic issue that cannot be solved overnight.

He said this was why former President Muhammadu Buhari could not resolve it during his eight years in office.

According to him:
“Was Buhari not a general in the army? Yet he couldn’t fix the security problem in a day. It’s a systemic issue.

“I once spoke with some generals who explained that when a security guard living at your gate has two wives and many children, but limited means of livelihood, those children are sent out to the streets to ‘bring money.’ What do you expect?

“These are fundamental issues. I’m glad that President Tinubu is tackling them head-on—by investing more in education, universities, and agencies like SUBEB. When people are educated, they’re less likely to beg or bear children they can’t care for.

“The Bible says anyone who can’t provide for their family is worse than an infidel. And no religion—Muslim or Christian—wants an infidel. If you can’t care for your family, you’re worse than one.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE