As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration reached its two-year milestone on May 29, 2025, Nigeria’s social and political landscape reveals a complex tapestry of progress and persistent challenges. What began as a clarion call for a Renewed Hope Initiative has become a battleground of economic uncertainties, precarious security, and the enduring struggle of ordinary citizens to find stability amid shifting sands of policy.
The Tinubu government’s economic policies—heralded for attracting foreign investment and eliminating fuel subsidies—have delivered mixed outcomes. While these moves have bolstered investor confidence and driven macro-level growth, the daily realities for most Nigerians tell a harsher story. Inflation is at historic highs, the naira’s volatility erodes salaries and savings, and job creation has failed to keep pace with a surging population. From market stalls in Lagos to farmlands in Benue, citizens are confronting relentless price hikes and vanishing purchasing power.
Security remains an ever-present concern. Despite promises of decisive action, Nigeria’s neighborhoods remain gripped by insurgencies, banditry, and communal violence. The sense of insecurity undermines not only personal safety but also national cohesion, fraying the social fabric that once united communities.
Politically, Tinubu’s foreign policy recalibration—marked by new alliances and regional diplomacy—has yet to translate into meaningful improvements for everyday Nigerians. The promise of a “Nigeria First” doctrine rings hollow in communities where basic amenities like potable water, stable electricity, and functional healthcare remain stubbornly out of reach.
The human toll of these policies is visible in the weary faces of workers, students, and families forced to make do in an economy that rewards the powerful while neglecting the vulnerable. Political disillusionment is palpable. Neighborhoods that once pulsed with cultural vitality are now scenes of quiet departure, as waves of migration strip communities of their youth and their dreams.
As Nigeria marks this two-year milestone, a critical question emerges: at what cost has progress been achieved? Each gain celebrated in Abuja’s corridors of power finds its shadow in the struggles of the nation’s laborers and youth. The Tinubu administration must recognize that true progress cannot be measured in economic figures alone, but in the security, dignity, and opportunity afforded to every Nigerian citizen.
The path ahead demands a recalibration of governance—policies that genuinely reflect the aspirations of the people, not just the privileged few. For a nation to thrive, the price of progress must no longer be paid in the suffering of the masses, but in the collective prosperity of every household and every community.
