Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, has defended his father’s economic reforms, acknowledging the hardship they have caused households while arguing that their benefits could extend to future generations.
Speaking on Monday at the inaugural Seyi Tinubu Colloquium at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, he said the President had chosen to confront the country’s inherited challenges rather than avoid difficult decisions.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not choose Nigeria, did not choose the Nigeria inherited from his predecessors, yet his administration chose to confront the challenges of our nation,” he said.
The event was held under the theme, “Shaping the Future Together”.
Seyi identified fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms and changes to the tax system as major decisions affecting how Nigeria earns, spends and creates economic opportunities.
He acknowledged the immediate pressure the policies had placed on families but maintained that their long-term benefits might not be immediately apparent.
“Changes have not been easy. Families whose budgets have been stretched, the pain was immediate, the lasting improvement more difficult to feel and touch, yet they are no less real,” he said.
He also cited infrastructure development and investment in key sectors as areas that could support economic growth, pointing to roads and superhighways expected to improve links between producers, markets and workers.
According to him, renewed investment in power, mining, manufacturing and agriculture could create opportunities and improve the productivity of Nigerian businesses.
Seyi further highlighted the importance of institutions that expand access to education and credit, arguing that their impact could outlast the administration that established or strengthened them.
“A road built today will serve people who are still children. An institution strengthened today can protect opportunities for Nigerians yet unborn,” he said.
He said he supported the direction of the reforms because young Nigerians needed an economy in which hard work could translate into meaningful rewards.
“I support this direction because our generation needs an economy in which every effort has a fair chance of yielding reward,” he said.
The President’s son also urged young people to participate in leadership and public affairs, stressing that they had a stake in decisions being taken today.
“That is why I also believe we have the responsibility to participate in the leadership and ensure that what is decided today will benefit all of us tomorrow,” he said.
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