Former Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Marcel Ngogbehei, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.
He said the president took courageous and difficult decisions that previous leaders avoided.
Ngogbehei said Nigerians must be prepared to endure short-term economic hardship for long-term national stability.
Mr Ngogbehei, now Director-General of the Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation, TMS, spoke on Tuesday in Abuja during a press briefing organised by the group to explain the administration’s policies and projects.
He said the forum was intended to promote an open and factual discussion of the challenges inherited by the administration, the measures taken to address them and their short- and long-term implications.
“Part of what we’re doing is interrogating these reforms, these initiatives of this present administration. We are not defending Tinubu as a person. We are looking at the initiatives he has taken and asking ourselves whether, based on the circumstances in which he got into power, are they the right moves or the wrong moves?” he said.
He argued that the president had demonstrated the courage to take decisions previous administrations avoided, adding that Nigerians should assess the reforms based on their intended outcomes rather than their immediate effects.
“If you say they are the wrong moves, if you were there, what would you do differently? If you say it’s the right moves, then why antagonise him? Why don’t you respect the fact that he has moved in the right direction? He’s bold enough to take initiatives that most leaders have run away from,” he said.
He recalled that in 2013, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, then coordinating minister of the economy, warned about the risks associated with continued borrowing and the use of Ways and Means financing.
He said Nigeria needed decisive leadership to end fuel subsidy payments and address what he described as monetary recklessness.
According to him, although the reforms have imposed immediate hardship on citizens, Nigerians must consider whether to bear the cost now or leave a greater economic burden for future generations.
He called for a national conversation based on facts about the state of the economy before Mr Tinubu assumed office, the measures introduced by his administration and their likely long-term consequences.
Mr Ngogbehei also said his organisation supported freedom of speech, expression and assembly, while advocating peace and order.
