Former Senate President Pius Anyim chaired a national forum of former and serving presiding officers of Nigeria’s state Houses of Assembly, defending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda and describing the president as a “statesman of the moment and the next levels” who is planning beyond the 2027 election cycle.
Speaking to the assembly of legislators, Anyim argued that reforms are rarely popular at the time of introduction because their benefits often materialise only after the immediate pain of implementation. He likened a reformer to a farmer who plants seeds knowing the harvest will come in a later season, emphasizing that courageous leaders must look beyond today’s pressures.
Anyim highlighted three flagship policies – the removal of the petrol subsidy, the introduction of a student‑loan scheme and the proposed state police programme – as examples of measures designed with long‑term national objectives in mind. He said the student‑loan policy targets “the next generation of leaders” and the state police initiative aims to secure “the stability of our social environment for the next generation,” while the subsidy removal is intended to “bail out today and to secure the future.”
Former Plateau State Governor and ex‑Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Simon Lalong, acknowledged the economic difficulties generated by the reform programme, noting that the removal of the fuel subsidy has raised transport and living costs and placed pressure on households and businesses. He cited World Bank assessments that point to progress toward macro‑economic stability, but warned that poverty remains high and household incomes have yet to fully recover.
Lalong called for a transition from macro‑economic stabilisation to shared prosperity, stressing the need for sustained, quality‑focused investment in infrastructure, agriculture, human‑capital development, security and youth opportunities. He urged that reforms be accompanied by correction, accountability and improved implementation to translate macro gains into tangible improvements for Nigerians.
Senator Wasiu Eshilokun Sani, national chairman of the forum, said the gathering was intended to provide experienced legislators with a platform to examine the consequences of major policy decisions such as fuel‑subsidy removal, changes to federal allocation and efforts to strengthen local‑government finance. He stressed that the success of the reforms depends on the quality of implementation, the strength of institutions and the extent to which Nigerians feel their impact, urging participants to identify unintended consequences and areas needing improvement.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
