At 74, Arewa Think Tank urges patience, backs Tinubu’s reforms
Stakeholders at a prayer session organised by the Arewa Think Tank in Kaduna to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 74th birthday urged Nigerians to remain patient, stressing that the administration’s
- From AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna
Stakeholders at a prayer session organised by the Arewa Think Tank in Kaduna to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's 74th birthday urged Nigerians to remain patient, stressing that the administration’s reforms require time to yield lasting results.
Convener of the group, Mohammed Alhaji Yakubu, said the initiative, sustained over the past three years, was anchored on religious obligation and the need to support leadership during challenging times.
“In the last three years, this has been our tradition. Islamically, we are enjoined to pray for our leaders, our country, and our fellow countrymen,” he said. “Considering the present situation, what the president and the country need now is prayers, not ostentatious celebrations.”
Yakubu dismissed calls in some quarters urging the president not to seek re-election, insisting it was premature to assess his performance. “The first tenure has not been completed. He has just spent about three years. We are already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
While acknowledging existing challenges, he maintained that the administration had made a promising start. “We are not saying he has done perfectly well, but he has started on a good footing. Let us give him the benefit of the doubt,” he added, affirming that the group was fully aligned with the president’s political future.
“For us in the Arewa Think Tank, we are 100 per cent behind him and his re-election,” Yakubu said, dismissing criticisms from some northern leaders as distractions. “There is a lot of noise, but can you compare noise with substance? We are working with substance, not noise.”
He urged Nigerians to endure current economic hardships, noting that reforms often come with initial pain. “There is no royal road to success. There is no success without pain. We will soon get there, and we are already seeing positive signs,” he said, citing improved fiscal flows to sub-national governments and ongoing infrastructure projects.
Also speaking, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Tijani Kaura, defended the administration’s reform strategy, likening it to rebuilding a damaged structure. “When the president came in 2023, he met a house with a leaking roof full of holes,” he said.
“He had two options — to patch the holes or remove the entire roof and build a new one for lasting stability. He chose the harder path, and that is why Nigerians are facing these difficulties,” Kaura added, noting that it would be unfair not to allow the president to complete his reform process.
Similarly, labour leader Issa Aremu said recent economic and labour reforms show signs of progress despite prevailing challenges. “We can debate prices, but fuel scarcity is no longer the issue it used to be,” he said, pointing to the increase in minimum wage and improved revenue profile as evidence of reform efforts.
Aremu, however, stressed the need for intensified job creation, describing employment as central to long-term stability. “The key to sustainable security is jobs, jobs, and jobs, especially for the youth,” he said.
Special Adviser to the Kaduna State Governor on Stakeholder Relations, Abdullahi Isyaku, who represented Governor Uba Sani, described the event as significant, noting that it underscored growing support for the administration.
“This is about the third time the Arewa Think Tank is organising this. It is aimed at praying for the president, the country, and peace in Kaduna State,” he said, adding that the turnout of stakeholders across the North reflects a collective commitment to addressing the nation’s challenges.
The prayer session brought together religious leaders, political figures, and stakeholders from across northern Nigeria, all emphasising the need for patience, unity, and sustained support for ongoing reforms.
