Abia Governor Backs Tinubu’s Economic Reforms, Says It’s Too Early to Judge Performance

Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform policies but cautioned that it is too early to assess the overall performance of the administration.

Otti, the only governor elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), made this known during an interview with Arise TV journalist Rufai Oseni. A clip of the interview was shared on social media platform X.

The governor endorsed two of the president’s most controversial policy decisions — the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira — describing them as necessary steps toward long-term economic recovery.

“Subsidy removal was long overdue. What was happening was that big men like you and I were the ones enjoying fuel subsidies,” Otti said.

“Even the Naira floating, I have spoken about it. It is just that the two policies happened at the same time.”

When asked directly whether President Tinubu has done well economically, Otti declined to give a definitive answer, stating:
“This is one question I will not be able to answer,” adding that, “Because I have access to him, and I can always discuss with him. Today, it’s just 23 months into the administration; it’s still early days.”

Otti noted that many of Nigeria’s economic challenges did not begin with the Tinubu administration, emphasizing that reforms must be sustained to yield long-term results.

“Over time, I believe that this economy will rebound if the current economic reforms are kept.

Are you surprised that inflation is 24 percent? What is an interest rate? Inflation goes with interest rates. They will keep chasing themselves no matter how much you rebase.

“It is very unfortunate, but some of the sacrifices must be made. If you don’t today, you will tomorrow, or the economy will go up in flames,” he added.

The governor also identified Nigeria’s overdependence on crude oil and lack of productivity in other sectors as a major challenge affecting the foreign exchange market.

“What we are doing is creating an environment where productivity will happen,” he concluded.

As of March 2025, Nigeria’s inflation rate stood at 24.23 percent, while the Central Bank’s benchmark interest rate was pegged at 27.50 percent.