As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commemorated his second year in office on Thursday, May 29, 2025, elder statesman and veteran politician Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, who turns 100 in December, has offered mixed reviews to the scorecard of the administration.

In an exclusive interview news reporters the centenarian political statesman explained that the Tinubu administration is “neither bright nor gloomy,” stating that while it has taken certain laudable steps to stabilize the economy amid a nation in crisis, it is still too early to evaluate its performance.

 

“It would be grossly unfair to say the president has not made any progress if we now consider that we are beginning to see less public complaints,” said Yakasai.

“I am not going to say what he has accomplished in altering existent policies is perfect. But I feel he has laid down the foundation to be able to change the economy.”

 

Discussing the likelihood of President Tinubu winning a second term in 2027, Yakasai believes there is no visible competitor who possesses enough popularity or status in society to threaten the president’s candidacy.

 

“For the moment, I don’t see anyone who can stake a serious claim to the president’s position. He commands the allegiance of many governors, whose commissioners, House of Assembly members, and party leaders follow his lead. Now that is a massivestatusrt. But politics is a strange dance,” he said, reminding Nigerians of how quickly a political landscape can change, with the example of former president Muhammadu Buhari who won an election without the support of most governors.

Similarly, Professor Kabiru Isa Dandago, an economist, took a far more critical position in reviewing Tinubu’s first two years in office.

 

“In assessing economic growth, we look at the extent of employment, poverty, inflation, and self-reliance. If all four are on the up, then the economy is not growing,” he said.

 

Dandago mentioned that while the government’s key infrastructure achievements: the Lagos–Port Harcourt Highway, the Imo–Maiduguri Highway and establishing new regional development commissions might be applauded, he did not think there has been any economic growth worth measuring.

 

“Eventually, if these are well implemented, they will reduce unemployment and encourage entrepreneurs,ip but right now, hopes of future economic growth are still more than actual visible economic benefit,” Dandago observed.

 

The contrasting views represent the mix of cautionary optimism and rising public scrutiny on President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as Nigeria struggles with inflation, unemployment and adopting economic reforms.