Oyedele Charges Nigerians To Support Reforms, Criticise Government Constructively

Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has urged Nigerians to support positive government policies while holding the administration accountable through constructive criticism.

Oyedele made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while unveiling the Federal Government’s Nigeria’s Reform Scorecard, a three-year assessment of the costs, benefits and harms prevented by the administration’s economic reforms.

The minister appealed to Nigerians to move beyond populist narratives and sensational claims by seeking facts and understanding the rationale behind government policies.

He identified three responsibilities for citizens as the government enters the next phase of its reform programme.

“First, be a citizen – support positive government policies,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria cannot be rebuilt by opposing every government policy simply because it comes from the administration in power.

He, however, stressed that supporting government did not mean abandoning scrutiny.

“Second, criticise government constructively,” Oyedele said.

He warned that misinformation could distort public understanding of government policies and ultimately affect the economic environment.

The minister’s third charge was for Nigerians to seek accurate information and understand the facts behind economic decisions.

“Seek facts and proper understanding, not populist views or sensational headlines,” he said.

Oyedele acknowledged that the reforms had been painful, particularly for households facing higher petrol prices, elevated interest rates and increased living costs.

He said the government was not attempting to hide those costs in its reform assessment.

“We are not here to pretend these reforms were painless,” he said.

Rather, he said the administration had produced the scorecard to demonstrate what the reforms had cost, what they had delivered and what economic damage they had potentially prevented.

Oyedele said the next phase would require greater discipline and implementation as the government seeks to translate macroeconomic stability into improved living standards.

The Federal Ministry of Finance has similarly stressed that stabilisation is only the foundation for the next phase of growth, with policy consistency, accountability, investment and productivity expected to determine whether the reforms produce sustained prosperity.

The minister said the government would continue implementing the Nigeria Tax Act, improve public spending and expand social interventions targeting vulnerable Nigerians.

He also called for Nigerians to engage with the government’s data and question its methodology where necessary rather than dismissing the reforms without examining the evidence.

“Together, let us build the Nigeria of our dreams,” he said.