By Dr. Tofunmi Ogunronbi
There is no doubt that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu means well for this country. His courage to confront Nigeria’s economic realities head-on, and his willingness to pursue reforms that many before him avoided, clearly show that he is a father who desires a better future for his people. Nigerians can see the intention. Nigerians can feel the urgency.
And this is where the real problem lies, not with the President, but with the system and the people surrounding him. The recently announced plan to lift 50 million Nigerians out of poverty is bold, ambitious, and necessary. However, placing such a monumental national assignment under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs raises serious concerns that must not be ignored.
Let us be honest with ourselves:
this structure cannot deliver this promise.
A programme of this magnitude is not a routine government project. It is a national economic transformation mission. Yet, it has been placed within a ministry that operates within a cycle of:
1. Changing leadership
2. Shifting priorities
3. Weak continuity
4. Bureaucratic bottlenecks
Ministries, as currently structured, function like barracks, soldiers come, soldiers go, but the barracks remains unchanged. Every new minister arrives with new ideas, new agendas, and often, new personal interests. The question Nigerians are asking is simple and valid:
Are those around the President truly committed to his mission, or are they preparing for their next political journey of becoming governor or senator?
Because from experience, many of these programmes end up becoming platforms for what people now call “stomach infrastructure”, where resources meant for national development are quietly redirected into personal and political ambitions.
This is why I, Dr. Tofunmi Ogunronbi, state clearly and without hesitation:
This project, in its current form, is dead on arrival.
Not because the vision is wrong but because the foundation is weak.
Poverty in Nigeria is not a humanitarian issue alone. It is an economic crisis driven by:
1. High food prices
2. Expensive transportation
3. Weak local production
4. Lack of energy access
5. Limited job opportunities
You cannot solve this with a ministry-driven approach focused on relief. You solve it with production, logistics, industrialization, and structured economic systems. What we need is not another programme, we need a system that works.
That is why this project must be:
1. Immediately halted in its current structure
2. Repositioned under the direct supervision of the Presidency or the Renewed Hope framework.
3. Driven by clear service delivery outcomes, not administrative processes.
4. Built on measurable economic impact food affordability, job creation, cost reduction.
Furthermore, it is time to say what many Nigerians already know but few are willing to state openly:
The current structure of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs needs a complete overhaul. In fact, it should be scaled down into a specialized unit under the Presidency, where it can function with:
1. Direct oversight
2. Clear accountability
3. Strong coordination with economic ministries.
Nigeria cannot continue to run critical national programmes through fragmented, inconsistent structures and expect transformational results.
We must be deliberate.
We must be intentional.
We must build systems, not slogans.
This is not the time for symbolic projects. This is the time for practical solutions and sustainable impact.
Mr. President has shown leadership, demonstrated uncommon courage and genuine concern for the plight of Nigerians. Your leadership style is bold, decisive, and reform-driven, is highly commendable. It is clear that your approvals are driven by a sincere desire to reduce hardship, restore dignity, and reposition Nigeria on the path of prosperity. Nigerians can see that your heart is in this mission.
However, Your Excellency Sir, it must be said with utmost respect and sincerity that many of us are deeply concerned about how some individuals within your circle are undermining this noble vision.
More troubling is the reality that some of these actors appear to be driven by self-interest rather than national interest. Instead of focusing on delivery, there are concerns that certain individuals are using these programmes as platforms to position themselves politically even raising resources for future gubernatorial and senatorial ambitions under the cover of national assignments. This is not only dangerous, it risks diluting your legacy and eroding public trust in your administration.
Sir, I speak not just as a citizen, but as someone who is deeply result-driven. It pains me, truly to the marrow, when I read about some of these projects in the news. Not because the ideas are bad, but because Nigerians are not feeling them. The impact is not visible. The relief is not tangible. And the reason is clear: many around you are operating with an “eye-service” approach, focused on appearances, presentations, and pleasing reports, rather than measurable outcomes.
There have been times I chose to remain silent, because of the love and trust I have in your leadership styles, believing that things would improve internally. But at this point, silence is no longer an option. The gap between intention and impact is too wide, and the suffering of Nigerians is too real.
This brings us to a fundamental issue that must be addressed if real progress is to be achieved:
As long as political appointments continue to be used primarily as rewards for loyalty rather than competence and capacity, meaningful results will remain difficult to achieve.
Nigeria is at a stage where performance must take precedence over patronage. The challenges we face today require individuals who are not just politically aligned, but technically competent, execution-focused, and genuinely committed to national development.
Your vision is clear. Your intentions are unquestionable. But for that vision to translate into real change, there must be:
Stronger alignment within your team.
A shift from political compensation to performance-driven appointments and a clear accountability for delivery, not just policy formulation.
Mr. President Sir, Nigerians are not asking for miracles, they are asking for minimal results they can see, feel, and live with daily. With the right structure and the right people around you, your leadership has the potential to deliver one of the most transformative periods in Nigeria’s history.
Nigeria does not lack ideas.
Nigeria does not lack resources.
What Nigeria has lacked and must now build, is a system that delivers ideas.
