Tunji Bello, a long-time ally of President Bola Tinubu from their days in the pro-democracy group NADECO, says being Nigeria’s president presents new challenges for the former Lagos governor.
Bello, who served during Tinubu’s second term as Lagos governor from 2003 to 2007, attributed the President’s inability to replicate his Lagos achievements at the federal level to “gargantuan problems” at the center.
Bello, now the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), discussed this on Friday’s episode of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program on Channels Television.
Read Also: BREAKING: FG Didn’t Stop Under 18-Year-Old Candidates From Writing WAEC, NECO – Minister Makes Clarification
Bello said, “What I know is that he (Tinubu) is somebody who fights for the interest of Nigerians at any point in time, just like he did when he was in Lagos.
“Considering what he contributed to the development of Lagos, the expectation is that he will do the same thing in Nigeria. But Nigeria is a different thing entirely. So, we should not expect that what he did in Lagos, he should come and do the same thing.
“There is Federal Character in Nigeria, when you get to the Centre. There is nothing like Federal Character in Lagos. That itself is one of the things he has to surmount. He has to consider the interest of different areas. He cannot just say that what works here (Lagos) must work there (at the centre). That should be properly studied.
“And then, he came in and met gargantuan problems; problems of infrastructure, petrol, insecurity, labour issues here and there, and different things.
“If you ask me, I will say he has done very well (but) we need to look at some areas and see how that we can recalibrate.”
Read Also: Nigerians Are Suffering Deeply – Yoruba Elders Sends Message To Tinubu
The FCCPC Chair praised President Tinubu for demonstrating that he is a receptive leader committed to addressing the needs of the people.
Bello reassured Nigerians that they can expect improvements in the economy and other sectors over the next two to three years.
“We are going to see a lot more improvements as we move on. He (Tinubu) just spent one year, only God can perform excellently well. One year, I think people needs to give him more time. In the next two, three years, I believe that we will see a lot of changes as we move on,” he said.
Bello also noted that his agency has begun engaging with traders across the country, starting with Abuja.
Some traders have cited issues such as poor road conditions, insecurity, and inflation as reasons for raising prices. However, Bello emphasized that these factors do not justify arbitrary or exploitative pricing.
He stated that while the FCCPC supports fair profit-making, it will not tolerate unethical profiteering. Offenders could face substantial fines, market or stall closures, and other penalties.
Bello encouraged Nigerians to report any exploitative practices by traders so the agency can take appropriate action.
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
