WE’RE LIVING BETTER LIFE NOW THAN WE USED TO IN 1960 — TINUBU’S AIDE
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Special Advisor to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, asserts that Nigerians today are in a more advantageous position than they were at independence in 1960, notwithstanding the current economic challenges.
Fasua, during an appearance on Channels Television on Friday, contended that it is deceptive to juxtapose the nation’s current circumstances with those of the early post-independence period.
He noted that in 1960, the majority of the population resided in rural regions with limited access to infrastructure and only experienced poverty upon relocating to urban areas.
“For those who try to compare Nigeria to 1960, in many ways we are living a better life now than used to be the case,” he said.
“In 1960, just after independence, we had a whole lot of people, of course, living in villages and so on. It was when we took over government as nationals ourselves that we started moving from villages to Lagos, to Ibadan, to Kaduna, to Enugu and all of that, and then that created a kind of urban poverty.”
Fasua emphasized that the Tinubu administration is dedicated to addressing both historical and contemporary poverty through reforms and infrastructure development rather than through monetary handouts.
“The current administration is saying that, look, we are not going to really be sharing money, we want to do something that takes us on a different trajectory, that paints a new picture, that prepares even our children and unborn children for a better life than what we have had,” he said.
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He also rejected the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Report, which estimated that 133 million Nigerians were impoverished, characterizing it as obsolete.
“If we redid the multidimensional poverty today, perhaps 10 to 20 million people have been taken out of poverty due to these investments,” Fasua claimed, pointing to ongoing road projects and other infrastructure as drivers of change.
Fasua remarked that inflation, which he indicated previously soared to 34 percent, has decreased to 24 percent and is anticipated to persist in its decline. He attributed the enhancements to elevating approximately five to six million Nigerians from poverty, referencing data from the World Poverty Clock.
Urging patience, he said, “If you’re saying you think that you are poorer today than you were a few years ago, and then that means that nothing is being achieved, you are wrong… progress takes time.”
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