The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has acknowledged that the government’s economic reforms pushed more Nigerians into poverty, while insisting that the administration has recorded significant progress since introducing the measures.
Bwala made the statement on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday while defending the reforms implemented by the Tinubu administration since 2023.
The reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, led to higher transportation, logistics and production costs, increasing the financial pressure on households and businesses.
Bwala admitted that the immediate impact of the reforms was difficult for many Nigerians, saying, “More people went down to poverty, acknowledged, but since when the reform started to today, we have made marked progress.”
He maintained that economic reforms typically come with discomfort, arguing that the hardship experienced by Nigerians should be considered alongside the progress the government claims to have made.
“There is no part of the world where you start a reform like that there will not be discomfort,” he said, adding that the government had spent the past three years explaining the reforms and their outcomes to Nigerians.
Bwala also expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s chances in the 2027 presidential election, predicting that the President would secure a significantly wider margin over his opponents than he did in 2023.
He attributed his optimism partly to the support Tinubu has received from governors who were elected on opposition party platforms but have since moved to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
