Tinubu, You Are Already President: Tell Nigerians What You Have Done, Not What You Intend To Do
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appears to have forgotten an important distinction between campaigning for office and campaigning for re-election: Nigerians are no longer asking what he intends to do if elected. They are asking what he has done with the opportunity already entrusted to him.
Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, Tinubu has had the authority, constitutional responsibility and executive powers of the Nigerian presidency. He has had more than three years to demonstrate his vision, implement his policies and deliver on the promises that brought him to power.
Yet, as the 2027 general election approaches, his campaign appearances increasingly feature fresh promises, political attacks against opponents and assurances of projects that Nigerians are still waiting to see materialise.
The question is simple: Mr President, what exactly have you done with the opportunity Nigerians gave you in 2023?
During his recent visit to Akwa Ibom State, Tinubu announced approval for the proposed Ibom Deep Sea Port after Governor Umo Eno appealed for the project at an APC rally in Uyo.
The announcement was received with excitement by political supporters, but it also raised an uncomfortable question.
Wasn’t this same project part of the promises made during Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign?
In fact, Governor Eno reportedly reminded the President that the people of Akwa Ibom had remained loyal to him since 2023 and were still expecting the fulfilment of the promise.
The President has now announced approval. But approval is not construction. Construction is not completion. And completion is not the same as delivering the economic benefits promised to the people.
Where is the implementation timetable? Where is the funding framework? When will construction begin, and when should Akwa Ibom residents realistically expect the port to become operational?
These are legitimate questions that deserve concrete answers, not another round of campaign celebrations.
THE PRESIDENT SHOULD NOT CAMPAIGN AS THOUGH HE IS AN OPPOSITION CANDIDATE
One of the most troubling features of Tinubu’s emerging re-election campaign is the apparent emphasis on what his political opponents failed to achieve while in office, rather than a comprehensive account of his own performance.
At the Uyo rally, the President attacked Peter Obi over the erosion crisis in Anambra State, arguing that the former governor ran away from a problem he could not solve.
Whether Obi’s administration did enough to address erosion is a legitimate subject for public scrutiny.
But why should the President be more interested in explaining Obi’s shortcomings than accounting for his own administration’s performance?
Tinubu is not an opposition politician. He is the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He controls the Federal Executive Council, appoints ministers, directs federal agencies, presents budgets and has the constitutional responsibility to address the country’s challenges.
If he believes Nigerians should examine the record of a former governor, he must be prepared to subject his own presidential record to even greater scrutiny.
The presidency is not an inheritance, nor is it a permanent campaign platform. It is a public trust that comes with measurable responsibilities.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE PROMISES OF 2023?
When Tinubu sought Nigerians’ votes in 2023, he presented an ambitious agenda covering security, economic recovery, employment, electricity, infrastructure and improved living standards.
Nigerians were told to expect a government capable of turning the country’s enormous potential into prosperity.
But today, more than three years into his administration, Nigerians deserve a detailed assessment of those promises.
ELECTRICITY: Where is the reliable electricity Nigerians were promised? Businesses continue to struggle with the cost of alternative power, while households and industries remain burdened by an unreliable electricity supply. What measurable improvement can the President point to in the daily experience of ordinary Nigerians?
SECURITY: Has the administration made sufficient progress in protecting lives and property? Communities across different parts of the country continue to face security threats. Nigerians need more than assurances that security agencies are working. They need to see sustainable results.
COST OF LIVING: The removal of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange reforms were presented as necessary decisions to rescue the economy. Government has repeatedly defended these policies as painful but necessary.
But the question remains: how much of the promised relief has reached ordinary Nigerians? What has happened to the purchasing power of workers, pensioners, traders and small business owners?
EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES: Beyond government announcements and economic growth figures, how many sustainable jobs have been created? How much easier has it become for young Nigerians to establish businesses, access affordable financing and earn a decent living?
EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE: What measurable improvement can Nigerians identify in public schools, universities, hospitals and primary healthcare facilities? NELFUND is a notable intervention, but student loans alone cannot be presented as the totality of educational reform.
These are not opposition questions. They are questions Nigerians have every right to ask an incumbent President.
ECONOMIC REFORMS MUST BE MEASURED BY WHAT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD
The Tinubu administration deserves recognition for taking difficult economic decisions, including the removal of petrol subsidy and foreign exchange reforms.
However, announcing reforms is not the same as delivering prosperity.
A government cannot indefinitely ask citizens to endure hardship on the promise that things will eventually improve.
The administration must demonstrate how its reforms have translated into improved living conditions, better purchasing power, increased employment and a more productive economy.
Macroeconomic indicators are important, but they should not become convenient instruments for dismissing the everyday struggles of Nigerians.
A trader who cannot adequately restock, a manufacturer struggling with energy costs, a civil servant whose salary cannot meet basic needs and a graduate without employment may have a different experience of economic recovery from the figures presented at government briefings.
The President must bridge that gap between economic statistics and the realities of ordinary citizens.
APPROVALS, COMMISSIONING AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE NOT THE SAME AS DELIVERY
There is also a growing need to distinguish between projects initiated by the current administration, projects inherited from previous administrations, projects executed by state governments and projects merely approved by the Federal Government.
At the Uyo visit, for instance, Tinubu inaugurated the Victor Attah International Airport terminal building, Ring Road 3 and the Arise Palm Resort. These were projects executed by the Akwa Ibom State Government under Governor Umo Eno.
The President’s presence at their inauguration does not make them federal projects or automatically establish them as achievements of his administration.
Similarly, approving a deep seaport does not mean the facility has been delivered.
The same scrutiny should apply to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and other major federal infrastructure projects. Nigerians deserve transparent information about expenditure, completion targets, contracts and actual progress.
A government seeking re-election should be able to publish a comprehensive performance report showing what it inherited, what it started, what it completed and what remains outstanding.
That would be a more meaningful campaign document than another collection of promises.
THE PRESIDENT CANNOT KEEP ASKING FOR PATIENCE WITHOUT SHOWING RESULTS
Perhaps the most important question facing Tinubu is whether his administration understands the difference between political patience and public accountability.
Nigerians were patient when he announced the removal of petrol subsidy. They were asked to endure the consequences of foreign exchange reforms. They were told that economic hardship was temporary and that the sacrifices would eventually produce prosperity.
But how long must citizens continue to sacrifice without a clear assessment of the benefits?
The administration has introduced initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, pursued tax reforms and embarked on major infrastructure projects. These interventions deserve recognition and proper assessment.
However, acknowledging government initiatives does not mean abandoning scrutiny of their effectiveness.
The President must explain what has worked, what has failed, what has been delayed and what his government intends to do differently.
He cannot expect Nigerians to assess his administration exclusively through the achievements his spokespersons choose to highlight.
2027 SHOULD BE ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, NOT ANOTHER ROUND OF PROMISES
There is something particularly concerning about an incumbent President travelling around the country announcing fresh projects and making promises that were already part of his previous campaign commitments.
The proposed Ibom Deep Sea Port is a good example.
Akwa Ibom does not need another presidential announcement that will become a campaign reference point. It needs a properly funded project, a transparent implementation process and a realistic delivery timeline.
The same applies to electricity, roads, security, employment and economic recovery.
If Tinubu believes his administration has performed exceptionally well, he should have no difficulty presenting a comprehensive scorecard.
Let Nigerians see the figures. Let them examine the projects. Let them compare the promises made in 2023 with the results delivered by November 2026.
Let the President explain how many of his campaign promises have been fulfilled, how many remain works in progress and how many have been abandoned.
That is what an incumbent seeking another four years should be doing.
He should not need to spend so much time reminding Nigerians about what Peter Obi failed to do in Anambra or what Atiku Abubakar did or did not achieve in his political career.
The 2027 election is not a referendum on the past administrations of his opponents alone. It is also a referendum on his own presidency.
OUR POSITION
President Tinubu must understand that Nigerians are not looking for another presidential candidate with beautiful promises. They already have a President.
What they need is an incumbent who can confidently stand before the electorate and demonstrate how his government has improved their lives.
He should tell Nigerians what has happened to the promises of affordable living, reliable electricity, improved security, job creation and economic prosperity.
He should explain why some promises remain unfulfilled and provide credible timelines for outstanding projects.
He should tell Nigerians what he has done, what he has failed to do and what he intends to correct.
There is nothing wrong with promising to do more in a second term. But such promises must be built on a demonstrable record of performance in the first.
Mr President, Nigerians did not elect you in 2023 to spend four years telling them what you would do if given another opportunity. They elected you to govern.
Before asking for another mandate, tell the people what you have done with the one they already gave you.
Nigeria is not short of presidential promises. What Nigerians desperately need is presidential delivery.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This editorial represents the independent opinion of the editorial desk of Polity Nigeria. It is not an endorsement of any political party or presidential candidate.