APC chieftain urges review of FG’s reforms, borrowing

A former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Kebbi state, Mallam Salihu Isa Nataro, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review his economic reforms to ensure they delivered immediate relief and tangible benefits to Nigerians.

Nataro, who made the call on Wednesday while appraising the country’s economic situation, also appealed to the federal government to reconsider further borrowing, warning that continued accumulation of debt could expose Nigeria to a debt trap.

He said the rising population, high cost of living and declining purchasing power required the government to strengthen social safety nets and prioritise policies capable of improving the welfare of citizens.

According to him, the growing national debt and rising living costs have raised concerns over the impact of some of the reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.

Nataro also criticised what he described as the spending of trillions of naira on projects without commensurate visible impact on citizens, urging the government to cut unnecessary expenditure and redirect resources towards productive investments.

He said President Tinubu should use the remaining months of his first term to address the purchasing power crisis by mobilising domestic capital, attracting foreign investment and deploying tax revenues towards industrialisation.

Nataro argued that greater investment in productive sectors would create jobs, reduce youth unemployment and contribute to tackling insecurity, including banditry and kidnapping.

He also backed calls for institutional reforms in the fight against corruption, saying suggestions by former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on reforming anti-graft institutions deserved consideration.

“On this note, as an ardent supporter of President Tinubu, I think the opposition, especially Atiku Abubakar, has suggested one of the policy thrusts that should not be neglected by the current administration, which dictates that genuine reform should be based on establishing a separate tribunal for corruption agencies,” he said.

Nataro further called for the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, which recommended the restructuring and consolidation of government ministries, departments and agencies.

He said implementing the recommendations would help reduce the cost of governance and bring the Nigerian civil service closer to international standards.

He said Nigeria would struggle to achieve meaningful economic progress without what he described as an “urgent surgical operation” to reduce government spending, eliminate unnecessary expenditure and modernise the police with adequate communication equipment.

Nataro said while the Tinubu administration had made progress in some areas, there was a need to ensure that members of the cabinet were adequately aligned with the administration’s policy direction.

“The President is making headway, but the composition of his current cabinet does not demonstrate familiarity with his policy directions,” he said.