Defending the Renewed Hope Agenda: Reform, Memory, and the Burden of Perspective
By Kayode Akinmade
Recent criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda—particularly by Rauf Aregbesola—invite not only political response but analytical reflection. When a former public official dismisses an ongoing reform programme as a “scam,” the credibility of that claim must be weighed against both empirical developments and the critic’s own administrative record.
In this instance, the critique is as revealing as it is unconvincing. It exposes less about the substance of current reforms and more about the limits of perspective shaped by past governance experience.
Reform as Measurable Reality, Not Rhetorical Promise
The Renewed Hope Agenda, far from being a mere rhetorical construct, has manifested in tangible institutional and sectoral changes. Nowhere is this more evident than in the transformation of the Ministry of Interior under the leadership of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Within a short period, longstanding inefficiencies—particularly in passport administration—have been decisively addressed. A backlog of over 200,000 applications was cleared, automated systems introduced, and opportunities for rent-seeking significantly reduced. Border control systems have been modernized, while correctional services have undergone structural reforms aimed at decongestion and enhanced security.
These are not abstract claims; they are measurable administrative outcomes. To dismiss them outright is to disregard verifiable institutional change.
The Problem of Administrative Memory
Criticism, to be meaningful, must be grounded in institutional awareness. When Rauf Aregbesola previously acknowledged limited familiarity with the Ministry of Interior upon assuming office, it raised legitimate concerns about the depth of administrative preparedness at the time. The subsequent performance of that ministry—marked by systemic inefficiencies and recurring security lapses—only reinforced those concerns.
It is therefore difficult to separate current criticisms from the legacy of that period. A reform that fundamentally restructures a system may appear invisible to those who never fully grasped its dysfunction in the first place.
Infrastructure and the Politics of Denial
Beyond institutional reform, the Renewed Hope Agenda has prioritized large-scale infrastructure as a driver of economic recovery and integration. Projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry corridor reflect a strategic commitment to long-term national connectivity.
Simultaneously, critical road networks—including the Kaduna-Abuja, Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, and Onitsha-Enugu corridors—are undergoing reconstruction, alongside improvements in the East-West Road and key arteries within the Federal Capital Territory.
To characterize these developments as illusory is not a critique; it is a denial of observable reality. Infrastructure, by its nature, is visible, measurable, and economically consequential.
Social Investment and Human Capital
The administration’s interventions in education further complicate the “scam” narrative. Financial support mechanisms that have benefited over a million students, alongside renewed investment in tertiary institutions, signal a deliberate effort to address long-standing barriers to human capital development.
At a time when access to education is directly tied to economic mobility, such policies represent more than welfare—they are structural investments in national capacity.
Fiscal Stabilization and Subnational Relief
Perhaps one of the less publicly dramatized but most consequential achievements of the current administration is fiscal stabilization at the subnational level. Prior to 2023, a majority of states struggled to meet basic salary obligations without federal intervention. Today, improved revenue flows—driven in part by difficult but necessary reforms—have significantly eased that burden.
This shift underscores a central principle of economic reform: sustainability often requires short-term adjustment for long-term stability.
Macroeconomic Recovery and Structural Reform
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, Nigeria faced severe fiscal and external constraints, including critically low net foreign reserves. Since then, reserves have strengthened considerably, while oil production has rebounded from historically low levels.
Equally important are reforms in the energy sector, including the settlement of legacy debts and ongoing investments in transmission infrastructure and gas distribution networks. These are foundational steps toward restoring confidence in critical sectors of the economy.
Aviation and the Logic of Scale
Reforms in the aviation sector further illustrate the administration’s broader economic ambition. Revenue growth within the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria reflects improved operational efficiency, while ongoing upgrades to major airports signal a shift from maintenance culture to expansionary vision.
The comparison with global aviation hubs is instructive—not as a measure of current parity, but as an indication of direction. Economic transformation at scale requires infrastructure that aligns with global standards, and aviation is central to that objective.
Reform, Time, and Political Judgment
A recurring critique from opposition voices is that reforms have yet to eliminate poverty. While this concern is valid, it overlooks a fundamental reality of economic transformation: structural reform is inherently gradual.
Historical precedents—from Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew to other emerging economies—demonstrate that meaningful change unfolds over years, not months. The expectation of immediate outcomes often reflects political impatience rather than economic understanding.
Conclusion: Between Critique and Credibility
The characterization of the Renewed Hope Agenda as a “scam” ultimately collapses under the weight of evidence. What emerges instead is a pattern of reform—imperfect, evolving, but undeniably substantive.
This is not to suggest that the administration is beyond criticism. Rather, it is to insist that critique must be grounded in fact, proportion, and institutional awareness. When measured against these standards, the ongoing reforms under President Tinubu reflect a serious attempt to confront structural challenges that have accumulated over decades.
In this context, the more appropriate question is not whether reform is occurring, but whether it is being adequately recognized—and by whom.
