Omokri lauds Tinubu’s subsidy removal, warns Nigerians after Senegal’s crisis
Reno Omokri
Abdullateef Fowewe
Reno Omokri, Nigeria’s Ambassador‑Designate to Mexico and former presidential spokesman, has credited President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidies with averting a fiscal collapse similar to the one now unfolding in Senegal.
Omokiri commended the President in statement shared on his social media on Sunday.
“I hope you see what is occurring in the Republic of Senegal, where its government has just collapsed over the issue of a fuel subsidy, which it can no longer afford, after it rose from $418 million to $2.3 billion because of the Middle East crisis,” Omokri wrote in a statement.
“Sadly, this crippling fuel subsidy has drained the revenues of that beloved nation and seriously limited the government’s ability to provide social services.”
Omokri used Senegal’s subsidy overrun — reported to have ballooned from $418 million to $2.3 billion amid high global oil prices — to defend Tinubu’s controversial subsidy removal, arguing the policy spared Nigeria similar economic distress.
“I hope Nigerians can now see the wisdom of His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander‑in‑Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, who foresaw this ahead for Nigeria and took harsh but necessary decisions that have now resulted in an economically and politically stable climate for our country,” he added.
In his statement, Omokri highlighted economic indicators he says validate the administration’s approach, noting “12 consecutive quarters of GDP growth and trade surpluses, adding $67 billion to our economy and moving us from a GDP of ₦269.29 trillion on May 29, 2023, when Asiwaju became President, to ₦372.8 trillion today.”
He also referenced an International Monetary Fund acknowledgement that Nigeria was the sixth largest contributor to world GDP growth in 2025.
Omokri further criticised former presidential candidate Peter Obi for advocating that Nigeria emulate the economic policies of countries such as Argentina, Bangladesh and Indonesia, urging Obi to “be honest to his followers and true to his conscience by admitting that he was wrong and that, indeed, President Tinubu’s policies were the right panacea for Nigeria.”
The post came as President Tinubu secured a decisive victory in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary for the 2027 election, with Omokri congratulating him and reminding Nigerians “whose economic policies brought Nigeria out of the doldrums, and whose would have plunged us into crisis.”
