The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has dismissed insinuations that cabals or a shadowy inner circle control President Bola Tinubu.
Idris made this known on Thursday in Abuja at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national summit themed “Renewed Hope Agenda: The Journey So Far”.
Idris urged Nigerians to study the president, stressing that he welcomes a wide range of perspectives but makes his own decisions solely in the interest of Nigeria.
He said, “You need to study the president very well. You can have your voice; you can say what you want to say; he will listen to you, but his decision is ultimately his own. I think it’s important for us to recognise that.”
Speaking on the summit’s theme, Idris said the renewed hope agenda is a bold, people-first blueprint that turns obstacles into opportunities.
While commending the President on removing petrol and foreign exchange subsidies, which have been among the biggest impediments to Nigeria’s progress, Idris said Tinubu inherited a nation at a crossroads and responded with clarity and courage.
The Minister said the results of Tinubu’s reforms are now evident across all sectors, from infrastructure and social investment to mining and energy.
He stated, “The renewed hope agenda is about positively impacting the lives of the people of Nigeria through bold decisions designed to unleash the full scale of Nigerian potential in a way that has never been seen or done before.
“Among the first decisions the president made were the removal of petrol and foreign exchange subsidies, which have been among the biggest impediments to Nigeria’s progress, costing us billions of dollars in losses and waste annually.”
Idris also said the federal government is laying 90,000km of fibre optic cable nationwide, describing it as an unprecedented scale of broadband rollout, stressing that the renewed hope agenda is holistic and focused on real people.
He also spoke about the new Nigeria first policy, which mandates federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to prioritise local goods, services, and know-how when spending public funds.
He said, “This is historically unprecedented, with the ultimate objective being to accelerate industrialisation through local production and to insulate the Nigerian economy from global disruptions.”
