Presiden Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu menyatakan bahwa rangkaian reformasi ekonomi yang diterapkannya berhasil menstabilkan negara dan memulihkan kepercayaan investor. Pernyataan tersebut disampaikan di Abuja pada Jumat, 29 Mei 2026, di tengah tekanan lonjakan biaya hidup masyarakat yang berat memasuki tahun ketiga masa kepemimpinannya.
Kebijakan pengetatan sejak 2023 yang mencakup penghapusan subsidi bensin, pemangkasan subsidi listrik, dan devaluasi mata uang naira telah memicu krisis ekonomi terburuk dalam satu generasi. Harga pangan melonjak drastis, seperti harga ubi jalar yang naik dari 800 naira pada 2023 menjadi 5.000 naira per umbi besar pada 2026, sementara bahan pokok garri melonjak melampaui 2.000 naira.
Pemerintah Nigeria saat ini juga masih menghadapi tantangan keamanan berat mulai dari aksi bandit di wilayah barat laut, konflik komunal di negara bagian tengah, gerakan separatis di tenggara, hingga pemberontakan kelompok Islamis selama 17 tahun di timur laut.
"Today, I can say with confidence that Nigeria has stabilised and is moving forward again. Across the country, visible progress is taking shape," ujar Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Presiden Nigeria.
Presiden Tinubu menambahkan bahwa langkah menyakitkan ini mulai membuahkan hasil makroekonomi seperti keuangan publik yang menguat dan lonjakan pasar saham hingga rekor 250.000 poin. Pemerintah juga sedang berupaya melunasi utang sektor listrik sebesar 4 triliun naira atau setara 2,92 miliar dolar AS untuk meningkatkan pasokan daya.
"Subsidy no longer fit justify im ever-increasing costs in di wake of drying resources," ujar Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Presiden Nigeria.
Dalam pertemuan di Istana Negara, Wakil Presiden Kashim Shettima menyampaikan apresiasi yang mendalam atas keberanian presiden dalam merombak fondasi perekonomian negara dan melawan korupsi di industri minyak atas nama subsidi.
"Your Excellency, Mr President, this is the essence of your leadership. You did not come to power in the season of ease. You came at a time when the house required more than a canter. It required a builder with the courage to examine the foundation you inherited. In that defining hour, you choose not to postpone the surgery. You choose not to massage the wound. You choose to confront the contradictions that have held this country hostage for 50 years; that is the miracle of your courage. What you have done is not simply to administer a government. You have begun the difficult work of re-engineering a nation. You have reminded us that the reform is not a bank; it is a battlefield. It is not a picnic for the chicken-hearted. It is a covenant with the future," ujar Kashim Shettima, Wakil Presiden Nigeria.
Di sisi lain, para gubernur yang tergabung dalam Forum Gubernur Nigeria melaporkan adanya peningkatan pendapatan daerah imbas penghapusan subsidi sehingga mereka mampu membayar gaji, pensiun, dan mengurangi utang tanpa menerbitkan obligasi baru.
"I think the nation was shocked by the audacity of Mr President to implement that serious policy, but today, it benefited immensely from that policy. Many states were subject to issuing bonds and borrowing money. Today, states are not going to borrow money; they’re not going to issue Bonds. In fact, we’re reducing our debt. I urge your Excellency to let them discuss moving the minimum wage to a minimum of N100,000" ujar Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Gubernur Negara Bagian Kwara.
Ketua Forum Gubernur Progresif menyepakati pandangan tersebut dan memberikan penilaian tertinggi atas kinerja presiden yang dianggap telah memulihkan negara dari ambang kehancuran total.
"We are the frontline beneficiaries of the innovative approach you brought to bear in governance. We came to join you in thanking Almighty God who made this thing possible. You have virtually recovered Nigeria from the brink of collapse to a state of stability and survival. Your Excellency, we, the field officers at the subnational level, are indeed very grateful. We have assessed your performance, Mr President, and I’m happy to announce that we have scored it a 100 per cent. We thank you for the genius you are, the fatherly role you have played, your interventions in terms of our needs and your vision for the country, moving forward," ujar Hope Uzodinma, Gubernur Negara Bagian Imo.
Meskipun pemerintah mengeklaim keberhasilan ekonomi dan pembangunan infrastruktur jalan sepanjang 2.700 kilometer, masyarakat sipil dan analis menilai dampak riil di lapangan masih minim. Berdasarkan laporan BBC News Pidgin, warga seperti Olaleye Komolafe mengeluhkan penurunan daya beli yang membuat masyarakat lebih miskin dibandingkan tahun 2023, sementara analis Ayobami Akinola mendesak pemerintah memberikan aksi nyata terkait arsitektur keamanan nasional yang dinilai sudah usang menjelang pemilu 2027.
