By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Monday said a second term for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would consolidate ongoing economic and institutional reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria for long-term prosperity.
Bamidele spoke in Abuja while congratulating Tinubu on his emergence as the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress following the party’s nationwide presidential primary.
Tinubu secured a landslide victory at the primary, polling 10.99 million votes against 16,503 votes garnered by his only challenger, Stanley Osifo.
In a statement issued through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, the Senate Leader described Tinubu’s candidacy as a strong endorsement of the administration’s reform agenda and leadership style.
“I am confident that your candidacy will help fine-tune ongoing reforms across all sectors of the country and make Nigeria a prosperous nation. Your track records show that you are an agent of change,” Bamidele stated.
He said Tinubu assumed office at a period of severe economic difficulties but took “bold and necessary decisions” to stabilise the country and lay foundations for future growth.
“You became President when Nigeria’s economy was at its lowest ebb. You did not shy away from taking tough decisions. Rather, you prioritised critical actions to secure future generations,” he said.
Bamidele argued that the administration’s policies were already yielding measurable results across key sectors of the economy.
“You took the bull by the horns and confronted the problems head-on. This decisiveness has sparked economic progress in virtually every facet of our national life. No state is borrowing to pay salaries any longer,” he added.
The Senate Leader highlighted major infrastructure projects undertaken by the administration, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, describing them as strategic investments aimed at boosting national integration and economic expansion.
He also cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, as one of the administration’s landmark social intervention programmes aimed at expanding access to higher education.
According to him, more than 1.1 million students had registered under the scheme, while over N242 billion had been disbursed to beneficiaries since its inception.
Bamidele further claimed that Nigeria’s oil production rose from 1.273 million barrels per day in April 2023 to 1.71 million barrels per day under Tinubu’s administration, while external reserves increased from $35.09 billion in June 2023 to $49.49 billion in May 2026.
On economic performance, he said the country recorded steady growth under the current administration, posting 2.74 per cent growth in 2023, 3.4 per cent in 2024, 3.9 per cent in 2025 and 3.89 per cent in the first quarter of 2026.
“In my capacity as the Leader of the Senate, I assure you of at least 10 million votes from the South-west geopolitical zone of the country. The machinery to deliver those votes is already in motion,” Bamidele declared.
