•President slams Atiku, Obi
•We will secure 10m votes, City boys assure President
According to him, removal of subsidy has created the opportunity of growth, which the economy is witnessing.
He chided political opponents who have vowed to reverse the decision to take away subsidy, if elected.
The President said Nigeria cannot afford to return to the past.
He insisted that reversing the policy would amount to taking Nigeria backwards after the difficult but necessary economic reforms undertaken by his government.
He spoke at a meeting with members of the City Boy Movement (CBM) and other youth support groups, including the “Relax Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria Movement” at the State House, Abuja.
The group, led by the lawyer-son of the president, Seyi Tinubu, is targeting 10 million votes for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the polls.
At the event were Vice President Kashim Shettima, and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, who called for an AI-driven political education for youths.
Also at the meeting were House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Presidential Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande.
President Tinubu likened the clamour for the return of fuel subsidy to asking the biblical Moses to lead the Israelites back to Egypt after their liberation.
He maintained that despite the hardships associated with the reforms, his administration would remain committed to the economic policies necessary to secure the country’s future.
President Tinubu recalled that he removed subsidy because the country could no longer afford to sustain it without risking bankruptcy.
Taking a swipe at opposition politicians campaigning on the promise of restoring the subsidy, the president said the country must resist the temptation to abandon the economic reforms because of temporary difficulties.
Drawing an analogy from the biblical account of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt, the President recalled how Moses led his people through the Red Sea, despite the enormous challenges confronting them.
He said: “You cannot ask Moses to go back to Egypt,” insisting that Nigeria must continue moving forward through fresh ideas, critical thinking and sustained commitment to reforms.
Youths support a boost
The President maintained that with the support of the youths, his Administration would neither reverse its economic direction nor regret the difficult decisions taken since assuming office.
Defending his Administration’s record, the President recalled that he inherited enormous economic challenges, including depleted foreign reserves, outstanding financial obligations and a monetary system characterised by excessive currency printing.
He said the situation was so difficult that Nigeria was indebted to foreign airlines operators, who threatened to discontinue flights.
He said: “I took difficult decisions from the first day of this Administration because I believed Nigeria could not continue on its previous path. We must not allow the country to go backwards.
“You will hear our political opponents making promises, but you must examine those promises carefully and ask whether they offer practical solutions to the challenges facing Nigerians.”
President Tinubu maintained that the decision to remove subsidy was unavoidable because the country could no longer sustain the financial burden associated with the policy.
The President insisted that difficult circumstances should not become an excuse for abandoning the pursuit of a better future.
He said: “Our history teaches us that great journeys require faith, courage and perseverance. The story of Moses (Bible) and Musa (Qur’an) remind us that the path to freedom and progress often involves confronting difficult circumstances before reaching a better destination.”
The President stressed that the country’s economic direction remained irreversible, declaring that if Moses could not be asked to return to Egypt, Nigeria must not be dragged back to policies that had constrained its development.
He said: “When we took office, we faced serious economic challenges. We were struggling to meet some of our obligations, including payments to airlines. Almost everything in Nigeria depends on transportation. Our national carrier and the aviation sector faced difficulties.
“We could not simply continue printing money as though that was a sustainable solution.”
President Tinubu explained that rather than concentrate on blaming previous administrations, he accepted responsibility for addressing inherited liabilities and rebuilding the foundations of the economy through difficult but necessary reforms.
He said: “Looking back, I have learnt important lessons from the challenges of the past. The first lesson is that leadership requires taking responsibility for the consequences of one’s decisions.”
We are growth trajectory
The President also said that his Administration had embarked on reforms in taxation, public finance and other critical sectors to place the country on a more sustainable economic trajectory.
He expressed satisfaction with emerging economic indicators, saying the country’s improved growth performance demonstrated that the sacrifices associated with the reforms were beginning to produce results.
President Tinubu commended the youths for their patience, resilience and continued engagement with his Administration, despite the economic difficulties experienced over the past three years.
He said: “I remember the predictions that young people would turn their backs on our reforms. Those who made such predictions were wrong. You are here, demonstrating your faith in the promise of a better Nigeria.”
The President described the enthusiasm of the participants as a demonstration of the country’s future potential.
He said the massive turnout had reinforced his conviction that young Nigerians remained central to the country’s political and economic transformation.
The president said: “When I walked into this hall, I did not see a crowd. I saw Nigeria”, thanking the movement for supporting his Administration through difficult periods.
He charged members of the movement and other support groups to intensify their grassroots mobilisation, engage voters across the country and explain the Administration’s policies and achievements.
The president urged them to take the conversation beyond rallies and social media platforms to campuses, markets, communities and workplaces, ensuring that eligible Nigerians understood the issues at stake in the election.
President Tinubu said: “Engage every young person you know. Whether they hold a PhD or have no formal qualifications, speak to them about what we have done and what we intend to do.
“Explain our policies. Present the facts. Compare our record and our plans with those of our opponents.”
The President also urged eligible youths to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and participate actively in the electoral process, stressing that it is an opportunity to determine the country’s future.
He stressed: “You are not simply campaigning for me. You are campaigning for your own future.”
‘What we have done for youths’
Highlighting his Administration’s interventions in youth development, Tinubu said more than one million students had benefited from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which was established to expand access to tertiary education.
The President also alluded to the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP), which was designed to help working Nigerians acquire essential assets, including laptops, vehicles, motorcycles and solar equipment, without depending on personal favours.
He said: ““We are also creating opportunities for young Nigerians to access credit and acquire the tools they need to improve their lives.”
He identified the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme as another intervention intended to equip young Nigerians with digital and technical skills to compete in the global economy.
He said: “I promised to address the recurring disruption of academic calendars caused by strikes in our universities. A four-year university course should take four years. We have continued to work towards that objective.”
The President promised to expand opportunities for qualified young Nigerians to occupy positions of responsibility in government, arguing that their generation deserves a role in shaping decisions that would determine the country’s future.
He said: “I have entrusted young people with real responsibilities in this government, and I have watched them deliver. I intend to do even more because those who will live longest with the consequences of today’s decisions must have a role in shaping them.”
President Tinubu said the leadership of the City Boy Movement had demonstrated organisational seriousness by establishing political structures extending from the states and local governments to wards and polling units.
He said: “You have not merely gathered people; you have built an organisation. You have established a presence across the states, local government areas and wards, extending to the polling-unit level.
“That is more than noise. That is organisation. That is effective grassroots mobilisation. That is the kind of seriousness our country needs.”
He commended the City Boy Movement’s patron, Seyi Tinubu, and other youth leaders for their efforts, urging them to deepen their commitment to service, humility and grassroots engagement.
The President, who said he was proud of the initiative Seyi had undertaken, urged him and his colleagues to do more and set examples that future generations would be proud to follow.
Tinubu also acknowledged the contributions of the a group – ‘Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria’ – and other youth organisations operating within Nigeria and across the diaspora.
He also assured young APC members that their contributions to the party and government would not be overlooked.
City Boy will generate 10m votes
The Director-General of the City Boy Movement, Francis Oluwatosin Shoga, said the organisation was targeting a minimum of 10 million youth votes for the president.
Shoga said the target would be pursued through structured grassroots mobilisation, voter education and sustained engagement with young Nigerians across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He explained that the movement had registered approximately 4.6 million members and reached more than 50,000 young Nigerians through engagements across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Shoga said the organisation had established state-level structures and was expanding its presence across the 774 local government areas, wards and polling units to strengthen its mobilisation capacity.
He said the youths were prepared to take greater responsibility for national development and political participation.
Shoga added: “The youths of Nigeria are ready. We are ready to believe. We are ready to work. We are ready to serve. We are ready to lead”, he said.
He said the organisation would intensify door-to-door engagement, community outreach and voter sensitisation to build support for the Administration’s policies and programmes.
Shoga said: “We are committed to delivering a minimum of 10 million Nigerian youth votes in January 2027 in support of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Shoga said the movement supported the Administration’s economic reforms, including petrol subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms, infrastructure development, domestic refining, housing, agriculture, education and efforts to attract investment.
He maintained that the organisation would continue to present these interventions to Nigerians while encouraging young people to participate constructively in the country’s democratic process.
The Director-General also appealed for the appointment of more qualified young Nigerians into positions of responsibility, saying youth participation in governance should extend beyond election mobilisation.
He commended Tinubu for providing opportunities for young people in government and pledged that the movement would continue to promote unity, national development and responsible political engagement.
The Director-General of ‘Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria’ (RTIFN), Ahmed Bala, said the organisation had documented more than 340 achievements of the Tinubu Administration across different sectors.
He claimed that the organisation had attracted more than three million members within two weeks, describing the development as an indication of growing interest in its activities.
The RTIFN Director-General said the organisation intended to consolidate its membership structures, deepen grassroots engagement and promote voter education ahead of the poll.
He said the group would work with other youth organisations to communicate the administration’s achievements and encourage participation in the electoral process.
House of Reps to launch accountability initiative
Abbas unveiled plans to launch a comprehensive public accountability initiative tagged: ‘PBAT Stewardship Account,’ aimed at providing Nigerians with verifiable information on projects, interventions and legislative achievements under the Tinubu Administration.
He said that in the next 14 days, he would hold a media briefing to present a detailed account of interventions associated with the President, including their locations, financial values and implementation status, alongside a scorecard of the legislative achievements of the 10th House of Representatives.
According to him, the exercise would go beyond political publicity to provide citizens with measurable evidence of government performance, covering legislation, institutional reforms, oversight activities and constituency interventions.
Abbas challenged other political officeholders to publish periodic accounts of their stewardship, including reports covering 90-day periods, to enable Nigerians to assess their contributions to governance and national development.
Barau: On AI-driven political education I stand
Barau urged the City Boy Movement to deploy artificial intelligence and other digital technologies to educate Nigerians about the administration’s programmes, the records of opposition politicians and the factors responsible for the cost-of-living.
He commended the movement for its technological presentation, saying its approach represented a significant departure from conventional political mobilisation.
Barau said: “I believe there is no other political organisation in this country doing what you are doing. This organisation is not only human-driven; it is also technology-driven and AI-driven.”
He suggested that the movement should incorporate President Tinubu’s political history and philosophy into its AI-generated content to enable younger Nigerians understand his approach to governance.
The Deputy Senate President also recommended a question-and-answer component through which users could examine the past records of opposition politicians, compare their performance in public office with their present campaign promises and make informed political decisions.
He said: “This will enable people who engage with your technological platform to understand the issues and make informed decisions. We must ensure that Nigerians are not misled by false promises or carried away by prevailing political narratives.”
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Barau urged the movement to explain the implications of international conflicts and geo-political tensions for Nigeria’s economy, particularly their effects on energy prices, transportation and household expenditure.
He cited the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and tensions involving Iran and the United States as examples of international developments that could influence global energy markets and the cost of living.
Barau said that Nigerians needed to understand the international dimensions of their economic challenges alongside the policy measures being implemented domestically.
Olawande described the gathering as a demonstration of the growing political consciousness and organisational capacity of youths.
He said members of the movement were prepared to take the administration’s message to communities across the federation
The minister thanked President Tinubu for nurturing younger political leaders and creating opportunities for them to participate in leadership and public administration.
He said the President’s contributions to youth development would remain an important part of his leadership legacy.
