President Bola Tinubu’s performance has sparked mixed reactions in the South-South region as security and economy top some residents’ wish list while others scored him high in agriculture and education.
The respondents from Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom spoke on the president’s achievements in the past two years.
In Rivers, Prof. Anthony Onoja, a Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), identified the removal of petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira as two major actions shaping Tinubu’s administration.
He observed that while the administration has implemented bold economic reforms, the outcomes have been mixed.
“Although the floating of the naira initially triggered volatility and a sharp rise in the exchange rate against the dollar, some relative stabilisation has been observed in recent months.
“However, the removal of petrol subsidy inflicted a substantial shock, fuelling inflation and exacerbating hardship for many Nigerians,” he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Onoja maintained that despite the government’s efforts, poverty levels remained critically high, citing recent poverty indices which indicate a worsening standard of living, with a significant segment of the population struggling with hunger and joblessness.
He said that government initiatives such as cash transfers had proven inadequate in alleviating widespread suffering, criticising the current state of the business environment.
He called for improvement infrastructure, particularly in electricity and transport, which acted as a major obstacles to economic growth as small and medium enterprises faced difficulties, with many shutting down due to an unfavourable operating climate.
According to him, although there are efforts to expand renewable energy sources, these have yet to produce any tangible impact.
On security, Onoja scored the Federal Government poorly, particularly in its handling of herder-farmer clashes and the persistent issue of kidnappings across the country.
He said farmers were being displaced from their lands, which was disrupting agricultural production and undermining economic progress, urging government to take decisive steps to improve national security.
In the petroleum sector, he acknowledged the positive contributions of the Dangote refinery but lamented the underperformance of state-owned refineries.
He also decried the entrenched corruption in the sector and criticised the government’s inadequate response to anti-corruption efforts.
“Anti-corruption agencies appear ineffective, with major embezzlement cases often going unpunished. This undermines public trust and hinders economic development,” Onoja said.
Similarly, Mr Bosinder Araikpe, a Security Relations Consultant based in Port Harcourt, also rated the administration poorly on security, saying no significant improvement in addressing insecurity.
He said that with the Boko Haram insurgency and herder-farmer. conflicts still persisted, and claimed that ‘’there have not been sufficient improvements to justify a favourable security assessment since 2023.’’
However, Araikpe commended President Tinubu for appointing service chiefs from across all six geopolitical zones which, he said, fostered better national representation.
Dr Jebbins Ekezie, Executive Director of the Youths Advocacy Initiative (YAI) criticised the administration’s performance in youth employment and empowerment.
He recalled that the President, during his inauguration, pledged to prioritise youth engagement and economic inclusion.
“Two years later, aside from initiatives such as the Student Loan Programme and interventions by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, there is little to show for it.
“Lack of viable opportunities in both the public and private sectors has forced many young Nigerians into crime, informal employment, or emigration,” he said.
In Cross River, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, the state Commissioner for Information stated that the policies of Tinubu’s administration were aimed at repairing Nigeria.
The commissioner said Nigeria was in a bad shape before the administration took over, expressing belief that Tinubu’s policies were gradually changing the narrative, while citing introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles.
According to him, the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles has not only helped in the reduction of transportation cost but also environmentally reduced carbon emission to the atmosphere, which is commendable.
‘’When oil subsidy was removed, everyone cried but today, the price of petrol has dropped to N900 from about N1,300; though it is still too high, I believe it will continue to drop,’’ he said.
On agriculture, Ekpang commended policies like the distribution of subsidised sprouted nodes to agrarian states which Cross River benefited from and was one of the eight states that had FG launched a Special Agro Processing Zone.
He said that the efforts in agriculture would enhance economic activities and export, adding that Nigeria might not be as it ought to be but Tinubu’s right policies, at present, would better and prosper the nation.
On his part, Mr Richard Inoyo, Country Director, Citizens’ Solution Network, said that insecurity had worsened in Nigeria, considering the data from the International Crisis Groups and cited the herder-farmer clashes.
He claimed that in areas like Benue and Plateau, the clashes were taking more lives than the Boko Haram crisis, while terrorists resurgence in the North-East seemed to have more sophisticated weapons than the Army.
On health, Inoyo asserted that there was no much improvement since top government officials still sought treatment in hospitals abroad.
Inoyo said that the increase in petrol price had led to increase in transportation and production costs and adding the increased electricity tariff would create difficulty in the economy.
He said the President would not score high economically when an average boy on the street could not boast of three square meals, stressing that other countries, not endowed with Nigeria’s quality crude oil, live better.
Speaking also, Mr Nsa Gil, Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Bassey Otu, said that the Tinubu administration had been strategic in all sectors, maintaining that fuel price and exchange rate were gradually being stabilised.
Gil said, ‘’at the moment, the nation may be feeling some pains in terms of the reforms but it is a phase that will pass.’’
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