Presidential aide Daniel Bwala has stated that Nigeria's large population is a key factor hindering citizens from feeling the positive effects of economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu. Speaking on ARISE News on Tuesday, June 2, the Special Adviser on Media and Policy Communication explained that the federal government's resources, despite increased revenue, are insufficient to meet the needs of over 230 million Nigerians and address longstanding infrastructure deficits.
Population and resource challenges
Bwala emphasized that the scale of Nigeria's population means the benefits of ongoing reforms will take time to materialize. "The answer is simply population and resources. The population is over 230 million. The resources we have, however, even with the increased revenue, are not enough to match the population and the deficit in terms of infrastructure. So, growth will inevitably be slow, but it will be slow, steady, and consistent," he said.
Visible effects of reforms
He argued that the impacts of the government's economic policies are already evident through increased allocations to state governments, which have improved governance and development projects. "When you talk about the increased revenue, the effect of that increased revenue is the higher allocation to states, which has resulted in state administration improvements and has also impacted the people," Bwala added.
