Tinubu governing as statesman, not as politician – Gbajabiamila

SEOChief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, says President Bola Tinubu has, since assuming office, governed as a statesman rather than a politician.

This, he said, was a deliberate choice by Tinubu to confront the country's foundational economic distortions head-on, regardless of immediate political costs.

He said this on Tuesday in Abuja while defending the Federal Government’s economic policies at the official unveiling of the Tinubu-led administration’s 2027–2031 electoral roadmap, entitled: “From Reforms To Prosperity Agenda.”

According to him, the Tinubu-led administration's overarching goal is to build an ecosystem where honest labour guarantees a decent livelihood.

Gbajabiamila drew a sharp conceptual line between political leadership driven by short-term electoral optics and true statesmanship anchored on long-term national survival.

He said that Tinubu, upon assuming office, deliberately chose to govern as a statesman rather than a politician by confronting foundational economic distortions head-on, regardless of immediate political costs.

The chief of staff noted that while conventional politicians remained consumed by the next election cycle, genuine leaders were more concerned with the next generation and the interests of the citizens.

He said Tinubu had a choice: to govern as a politician or as a leader, adding that there is a huge difference between the two.

“If he came in as a politician and decided to govern as a politician, he would have continued on the cruise, on the path that we were taking.

“But instead, knowing full well the immediate consequences, he decided he would govern as a leader,” Gbajabiamila said.

He assured that Tinubu was addressing the immense social pressures caused by the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange architecture.

While admitting that ordinary Nigerians were enduring significant hardship, the chief of staff stressed that doing otherwise would have destroyed the country’s future economic viability.

“Now, those decisions have placed real pressure on households. We must speak honestly about that experience because the people living through it deserve to be heard. And nobody should have to pretend that life is easy at the moment,” Gbajabiamila said.

He added that in spite of the short-term turbulence, the reforms’ ultimate moral test lay in translating structural gains into tangible, everyday prosperity for Nigerians.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives described the Tinubu administration’s new roadmap as bold and audacious, linking it directly to the president’s personal political philosophy.

He described the policy document as a binding legal and moral agreement with the populace.

“At the heart of this manifesto is my abiding conviction that every Nigerian should be able to share. Your country should give your best efforts a fair chance.

“A manifesto, in its strictest sense, is simply a contract between the people and the leader,” he said.

Gbajabiamila maintained that the Tinubu-led administration’s overarching goal was to ensure youths could aggressively pursue their dreams and deliver public services free from political patronage.

According to him, the key structural interventions are already taking root under the administration.

He listed human capital and social support under the administration, saying they were already expanding opportunities through the N-Power initiative and student loans designed to cushion tuition and living expenses.

He also listed the administration’s fiscal fairness policy, with comprehensive tax reforms tailored to alleviate the tax burden on low-income earners and qualifying small businesses.

He also said the landmark Electricity Act had empowered states to establish and regulate their localised power markets to drive investment and widen energy access.

Gbajabiamila further maintained that citizens deserved clear mechanisms to monitor progress and hold public servants accountable.

He urged All Progressives Congress (APC) members and stakeholders to defend the administration’s record effectively and engage communities directly.

“The party asking to continue in government must be prepared to answer the people whose mandate it seeks.

“We must earn support through the quality of work, through the quality of our case and the seriousness of our conduct,” he said.

Gbajabiamila said the 2027 general election would give Nigerians a definitive choice: sustain a reform agenda designed to permanently correct decades of systemic missteps or revert to expedient, short-term politics.