The criticism by the Minority Leader of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Abubakar Magaji, that he has not seen any significant development under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a political position he is entitled to hold. But it should not be presented as a complete account of what has happened in Nigeria since May 2023.
For an elected representative, criticism of government is part of democratic responsibility, particularly on issues such as insecurity, infrastructure, unemployment and the rising cost of living. But there is a clear difference between identifying shortcomings in government performance and claiming that virtually nothing has been achieved.
The record of the Tinubu administration, whether one agrees with its policies or not, contains measurable developments in economic management, infrastructure, education, energy, transportation, social protection and security.
The facts therefore deserve to be separated from political rhetoric.
Firstly, the lawmaker did not look at the economic impact of the policies of this administration because of cynicism.
Therefore, on the economy, the International Monetary Fund, in its June 2026 assessment, reported that Nigeria’s reforms over the preceding three years had produced improved macroeconomic outcomes and strengthened the country’s resilience. The IMF reported real GDP growth of about four per cent in 2025, while gross international reserves rose to about $46 billion at the end of 2025, compared with $40 billion a year earlier.
The World Bank also reported that Nigeria’s real GDP grew by 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, compared with 3.9 per cent during the corresponding period of the previous year. Inflation also declined substantially from its 2025 peak.
Reforms normally entails challenges, therefore acknowledging those challenges should not require pretending that the economy has recorded no measurable improvement whatsoever.
Indeed, one of the strongest arguments against the “nothing has happened” narrative is that the administration inherited an economy facing severe fiscal and foreign-exchange pressures and has undertaken major reforms whose effects are now being reflected in several macroeconomic indicators.
Infrastructure provides another clear example of an area that has received an unprecedented attention. Thus according to figures released by the Government, shows more than 2,700 kilometres of highways and major roads were under construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation as of May 2026. The projects include the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road and the East-West Road, among others.
Insecurity is not a challenge that began with Tinubu’s administration. For over a decade we grappled with insurgency, banditry and kidnapping particularly in the North-East and North-West. What has changed under President Tinubu is renewed vigour and strategic direction of the response. The administration has increased funding to the army and security agencies.
It strengthen intelligence sharing and coordination among security outfits. The government has also established a dedicated theater of command and forward operating bases in the North -West.
The security challenges in Sokoto and neighbouring states is complex, rooted in decades of neglect. Reducing them to a simple indictment of one administration betrays either misunderstanding of the problem or a deliberate distortion for political gain.
However, in his concerted effort on insecurity, the Sokoto State Governor, Dr Ahmed Aliyu FCNA, provided the security agencies in the state with over 200 patrol vehicles, 2 emirate bullet proof vehicles, 100 buffalo APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) vehicles and 200 motorcycles . He also provided them with 3,200 security hardware, 2000 bullet proof vests, 200 night vision goggles, 100 number thermal vision scope and other gadgets. He facilitated the establishment of full operationalization of the Nigerian Air Force Base Sokoto, upgrade the DSS tracker from 4G technology to 5G,establishment of the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps, and equipped them with 40 Hilux vans and 700 motorcycles. He similarly saw the establishment of military barracks in Illela and Police mobile Barracks in Tara village of Sabon Birni local government of the state.
To keep saying that one has seen “no significant development or effort on security” requires a much stronger argument than political dissatisfaction.
The lawmaker needs to purge himself of cynicism and bigotry. Political criticism is legitimate. But political criticism does not become fact merely because it is delivered from the floor of a House of Assembly.
Signed
Mohammed Umar
Publicity Secretary
APC, Sokoto State
