Tinubu is better than Peter Obi who was once – Omokri

Former President’s aide and political commentator, Reno Omokri, have expressed strong support for the economic policy of the Tinubu Bola President, specifically the removal of the controversial fuel subsidy, described the President’s performance as superior to what Peter Obi could convey the Labor Party.

Speaking of today’s politics, a channel of television political affairs program on Wednesday, Omokri stated that President Tinubu had shown political will to make difficult but necessary decisions, some of which were also proposed by Peter Obi during his presidency.

“I still think that President Tinubu is far better than anything Peter Obi will do,” Omokri stressed. “When it came to specific, especially the removal of fuel subsidies, President Tinubu acted immediately. Meanwhile, Obi previously said he would do the same thing.”

Omokri appointed Obi’s previous interview, also on television channels, where former Governor of the State Anambra stated his intention to eliminate fuel subsidies if elected. “So, what did the President do? He deleted it on the first day. Will Peter Obi do it differently?” He asked rhetorically.

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He further defended the President’s economic strategy, referring to the support of international institutions. “The World Bank and the IMF praised the move. Even if we consider it a neocolonial body, what about Moody’s and Fitch? Fitch, the world’s top credit rating agent, increases Nigeria’s ranking to B-positive because of this reform,” Omokri said.

He praised the Tinubu government by reducing Nigerian debt burden from $ 108 billion to $ 94 billion, linking changes with an increase in revenue from the elimination of fuel subsidies and Naira Floatation.

“The federal allocation for the state has increased significantly, in some cases multiplied or three times. This allows the federal government and state to reduce debt,” he explained.

In a broader note, Omokri urged the Nigerians to unite behind Tinubu, who stated, “It is wrong to not support him. Nigeria is his goal. We must focus on what was successful.”

He also swiped the inheritance of Peter Obi as Governor of the State of Anambra, accused that he was the only governor in the last 26 years who increased poverty in the state. “The governor before and afterwards did not record such statistics. He did not have the moral authority to talk about this problem,” Omokri said.

President Tinubu announced the elimination of fuel subsidies during the inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, quoting the absence of budget provisions and fiscal distrust to continue payment.

However, Peter Obi has criticized the implementation of the policy, not his intention. He argues that while he also plans to eliminate subsidies, it should be done with a clear mitigation strategy to eliminate the impact on ordinary Nigerians.

“In my manifesto, I clearly describe how I will eliminate subsidies, by involving the public and ensuring transparency in how savings will be used to reduce suffering,” Obi said in a separate interview.

He added that unlike past administration like Goodluck Jonathan, who introduced programs such as Sure-P to soften the blows, the Tinubu government removed subsidies without concrete alternatives to the masses.

“The problem in Nigeria is that the government often asks people to sacrifice, but everything is worse,” Obi regretted.