Nigeria's ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has publicly declared his intention to vote for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, outlining 15 specific reasons in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, August 20, 2026. Omokri shared his position while replying to a social media user who had urged him to reconsider his backing for the president. The former presidential aide defended Tinubu's administration across several areas, from the economy and education to security, tourism, and infrastructure.
Economic Gains Under Tinubu
On the economy, Omokri claimed Nigeria's gross domestic product (GDP) rose from N269.29 trillion in 2023 to N372.8 trillion following the 2025 rebasing exercise. He also said Nigeria had recorded 14 consecutive quarters of GDP growth and trade surpluses, and that the economy expanded by 4.01% in 2025, with a projected 4% growth for 2026. Furthermore, he claimed that Nigeria had overtaken South Africa to become Africa's second-largest manufacturing base, behind Egypt, and that the country had shifted from being Africa's largest importer of refined petroleum products to West Africa's biggest exporter.
Omokri also pointed to the Nigerian Exchange Group, saying its total market capitalisation climbed from N27.915 trillion in December 2022 to N166.3 trillion, citing Bloomberg's assessment of a 68% return that he said surpassed South Korea's KOSPI index. On foreign reserves, he claimed the figure had grown from less than $9 billion in May 2023 to $52 billion.
Security and Education Achievements
Regarding security, Omokri said the federal government had made what he described as its highest-ever investment in military equipment, including helicopters, armoured personnel carriers and weapons systems. He put the value of arms procurement in 2024 at N520 billion and said total munitions investment had crossed $1 billion. He added that security personnel received an 80% salary and wage increase.
On education, he cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying about one million undergraduates were currently in school through the scheme. He contrasted this with what he described as more than 30 nationwide strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) under previous administrations, saying Tinubu's government had recorded none. He also pointed to state-level salary payments, claiming 27 states could not meet payroll obligations when Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, but that all states now pay salaries regularly.
Infrastructure, Tourism, and Passport Ranking
On the Nigerian passport, Omokri said it had improved from 98th position globally before Tinubu assumed office to 89th on the Henley Passport Index. Omokri stated that Nigeria now draws about 1.2 million tourists during the Detty December period alone, up from 528,000 before Tinubu's presidency. He also highlighted the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed Sokoto-Illela-Badagry Superhighway as infrastructure projects he expects to reduce travel times and costs for Nigerians.
Omokri's comments come as debate around the 2027 elections gathers pace, with Tinubu's supporters increasingly rallying around the administration's economic and infrastructure record. According to Omokri, the 15 reasons he gave for supporting President Tinubu in the 2027 election are: state salary payments, refined petroleum products, manufacturing, GDP growth, student loans, no ASUU strike, military investment, tourism, foreign reserves, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Illela-Badagry Superhighway, GDP growth and trade surpluses, economic growth outpacing population growth, NGX performance, and Nigerian passport ranking.
