In about four months, Nigerians will go to the polls, specifically on January 16, 2027, to determine who will pilot the affairs of the country as President from 2027 to 2031. NigeriaNews Subscription
The APC will justifiably be exultant that the opposition is now more disorganised and fragmented than it was in the run-up to the 2023 presidential polls.
The APC goes into the election with the immense advantages of incumbency. Furthermore, it is far more cohesive, with sound and solid structures across the country than any of the contending parties, even though it has to effectively and astutely manage conflicts and grievances arising from the primaries in a number of states.
As this column indicated last week, the presidency of Nigeria is not a one-man affair. It is about a leader with a clear vision and sense of purpose who has the ability to tap talents in diverse fields to help him implement policies and actualize set objectives. Who then are those members of the President’s team with the best performances that will make them electoral assets to the APC in the forthcoming presidential election? They are those I regard as President Tinubu’s first eleven, following the practice in the much beloved game of soccer.
Operating as the frontline striker in the Tinubu team is a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) who is not even a member of the APC. He is none other than the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike. Although remaining firmly in the PDP, the often controversial Wike is a huge asset to the Tinubu administration.
For two years consecutively, he commissioned projects in diverse spheres – roads, power and water infrastructure, housing estates, etc – across the length and breadth of Abuja continuously, daily, for no less than three weeks.
Wike’s performance was key to the impressive outing by the APC in the last FCT Council elections, the first time a ruling party would record such a positive electoral outcome in the federal capital. Even his antagonists do not dispute Wike’s hugely impactful record as FCT Minister, the transformation of the territory under his watch and the considerable extension of development to long-abandoned residents of the FCT suburbs. The Rainbow Coalition he has put together across partisan divides with uncommon political dexterity will no doubt be a critical factor in the outcome of the electoral contest in Rivers State.
Operating from the right flank of the team is none other than the industrious and cerebral Minister of Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Dave Umahi. Under his watch, aggressive infrastructural renewal has been given priority with a radical shift towards durable and resilient concrete technology in the construction of national highways. Some of the signature legacy projects being executed with remarkable drive and energy by the Federal Ministry of Works and infrastructure include the 700-Kilometer Lagos -Calabar Coastal Highway, the 1, 068-Kilometer Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, as well as the Enugu m-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways.
With the injection of not less than N2.2 trillion in infrastructure by the administration, Umahi has supervised the completion of 260 road projects while achieving 85 percent completion of 2,604 inherited projects. From the left flank, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, initiated immigration and passport reforms that resulted in the clearing of 204,000 long-standing international passport backlogs within weeks of his assuming office.
Today, under his watch, visa applications, passport processing and exit/landing cards have been fully digitalized and automated contactless e-gates deployed at major international airports across Lagos, Abuja and other cities.
In a novel and far-reaching move, the Ministry of Interior facilitated the payment of fines running into hundreds of millions of Naira, leading to the release of over 4000 inmates held for petty offenses. Apart from this, custodial facilities nationwide, including Kuje and Suleja, have undergone renovation and modernisation to improve living standards, with renewed focus on rehabilitation and reintegration.
One of those supporting the lead striker in attack is the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari. Although security challenges continue to impede full productivity by farmers, especially in conflict-prone areas, the Ministry has made effective use of its allocation, which has risen from N228.4 billion in 2023 to N826.5 billion in the 2025 budget, to lay a firm foundation for the rejuvenation of agriculture in Nigeria. One of the key policy initiatives under Abubakar Kyari was the launching of a 500,000 – hectare dry -season farming to enable year-round crop production.
Through the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, millions of bags of locally produced fertilizers and high-yield seeds were distributed to smallholder farmers nationwide. Under its Green Imperative Programme, the Ministry partnered with Brazil on a $1.2 billion agricultural technology transfer and mechanisation project through which tractor manufacturers supply Nigeria with modern farming equipment and service centres.
Additionally, the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) raised a N100 billion fund to provide dedicated financial support to smallholder farmers and agribusinesses.
Another key player in the attacking formation of Team Tinubu is the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammed Ali Pate. One of the key initiatives of the Ministry was the implementation of the presidential directive on the provision of 80 per cent subsidy on kidney dialysis, lowering the cost from N50,000 to N12,000 per session, leading to the dropping of the monthly cost of treatment from about N1 million to approximately 200,000. About 12 key federal health institutions are participating in this initiative across the country.
In the health sector, the administration has revitalised nearly 4,000 primary healthcare facilities across the country, expanded investment and funding for about 8,000 primary healthcare centres, added millions of new enrollees to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and launched the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) to secure investments, build project pipelines and establish local medical manufacturing training academies. The administration also signed an Executive Order aimed at lowering the cost of pharmaceutical products and encouraging local manufacturing while young fellows were deployed to oversee and support primary health service delivery in all the country’s 774 Local Government Areas.
A key member of the strike force in Team Tinubu is Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education. In this Ministry, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund provides interest-free loans that covers tuition and upkeep for hundreds of thousands of tertiary institutions students; there has been improved engagement with unions like the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) averting major industrial strikes and achieving more stable academic calendars; increased capital allocations to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to the tune of N940.5 billion has enabled the completion of institutional projects across the country. More than ever before, under Alausa’s leadership, greater attention is being paid to technical and vocational education with the introduction of special allowances for this category of students.
At the heart of the midfield is Mr Taiwo Oyedele, the Minister of Finance and coordinating Minister of the Economy. Before his appointment, he was the Chairman of the Committee that comprehensively reviewed the country’s tax laws, leading to revolutionary changes of stupendous benefit to the economy. Along with the leadership of key institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the National Revenue Service (NRS), Debt Management Office (DMO) among others, the financial team has engineered the retrieval of the economy from the brink of disaster, stabilized the country’s finances, promoted trade surpluses, and achieved macroeconomic successes capable of triggering microeconomic trickle downs that will benefit millions of the Nigerian people.
Under the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, the Ministry has become a major revenue earner for the Federal Government. The Ministry’s revenue has grown from N16 billion in 2023 to more than N70 billion in 2025 and N15.62 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2026. This feat has been due to the revenue growth policy reforms implemented under the Minister’s Seven-Point Agenda. These include local value addition policies that have attracted humongous amounts in foreign investments, a drastic increase in royalty collections and more than doubling of the licensing revenue generated by the Mining Cadastral Office.
Also operating from the midfield is the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). Under the leadership of Mr Tunji Bello, this agency has come into the national limelight due to its proactive approach to protecting consumer rights and courage in enforcing fair competition. It has actively investigated major digital monopolies, enforced market competition and punished anti-competitive practices in diverse sectors including the aviation industry, electricity sector, telecommunications and banking. In an unprecedented move, the FCCPC is currently investigating the causes of escalating prices of cement in the country with a view to curbing any malpractices and protecting consumers.
The FCCPC concluded a joint critical investigation into Meta Platforms and WhatsApp for data and consumer rights violations that resulted in a major $220 million administrative penalty and mandatory compliance modifications. It has also taken decisive steps to break the 12-year exclusive monopoly held by a South African company, Optasia, in Nigeria’s multi-trillion Naira airtime credit lending and data advance market to ensure local participation and fair competition.
•To be concluded
NOTE: Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Theliberationnews
