Thursday, September 24, 2026

Let’s give Tinubu time to address Nigeria’s challenges: Yakubu Gowon

“I think the government is trying its best to deal with the various problems of the country.”

• February 21, 2024
Yakubu Gowon and Bola Tinubu
Yakubu Gowon and Bola Tinubu

Retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon has urged Nigerians to give more time to the President Bola Tinubu-led administration towards resolving the various challenges confronting the country.

He added that it was too early in the life of the administration to begin to resolve all the inherited crises in different sectors.

Mr Gowon said this after a meeting with Mr Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday in Abuja.

“Well, I was telling him that there is no Nigerian leader that gets there and will not have all the reports of what is being said about him.

“But certainly, there’s no doubt from what one hears and what one sees on the various media. I think the government is trying its best to deal with the various problems of the country.

“Don’t you worry, you will get criticised, but people who get there know better than you do.

“I think all what one can say is that Nigerians, we’ve got to give the President time to get things really done. And it is too early to say absolute result, perfect result will be achieved now.”

Mr Gowon said the meeting with the president also centred on the issue of the challenges facing the ECOWAS subregions, adding that they must be settled amicably.

“Being the surviving leader, or founding fathers of the ECOWAS, I think we had to discuss some of his plans in order to see what can be done to bring the matter under control,” Mr Gowon said.

He debunked claims on social media that he refused to attend an event organised by ECOWAS, adding that this was probably due to miscommunication.

“I think there was a miscommunication but then it gave the opportunity for the president to call me so that we could discuss what I was to do.”

(NAN)

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