Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, says the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu have started to yield measurable gains across critical sectors of the economy, despite being “tough but necessary”.
Abbas said the president’s policies have already delivered “gradual stabilisation of exchange rates, improved fiscal discipline, growth in agriculture, better revenues for states, and a return of investor confidence,” which he described as indicators that “the path we are on is the right one.”
The speaker spoke in Lagos on Sunday during the presentation of utility vehicles to traditional rulers in southern Nigeria, an intervention he facilitated through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
It is the second such gesture he has extended to traditional institutions in the south, following a similar distribution in May.
Traditional rulers who benefited from Sunday’s presentation included the Ayangburen of Ikorodu; the Onikate of Ikate; the Paramount Ruler of Okobo Land in Akwa Ibom; Igwe Fidelis Ogbu of Enugu; Igwe Robert C. of Anambra; the Oba Arole-Agbala of Ondo; and the Ede of Ekiti.
Other first- and second-class chiefs in Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Delta, Ebonyi, Imo, Sokoto, Kaduna, Niger, Taraba, Nasarawa and the federal capital territory (FCT) had benefited in earlier rounds.
Abbas said the interventions were not acts of convenience or patronage, but recognition of the “indispensable contributions” of traditional rulers to peacebuilding, conflict mediation, religious harmony, cultural preservation and community development.
“These vehicles are not gifts of comfort,” he said. “They are tools for duty. Traditional rulers remain the first and most trusted point of contact for millions of citizens, and their mobility is essential for conflict resolution, community mobilisation and cultural stability.”
He added that supporting traditional institutions is a “strategic investment” in peace, order and grassroots governance, noting that credible traditional leadership remains vital for stability in a diverse federation like Nigeria.
Abbas also linked the intervention to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, which, he said, “places strong institutions and community-rooted leadership at the heart of national renewal.”
According to him, the national assembly is pursuing a constitutional amendment to define and protect the roles of traditional rulers, while the Tinubu administration continues to consult royal fathers as part of national security and development conversations.
“He has invited them into major conversations on security and development and acknowledged their stabilising influence in moments of tension,” Abbas said of the president.
The speaker stressed the need to safeguard the gains recorded so far, warning that Nigeria “cannot afford to reverse its progress.”
He said the reforms “must be completed, consolidated and carried forward beyond 2027,” calling on traditional rulers to lend their “voice, influence and moral authority” to ensuring continuity.
Abbas assured that the house of representatives would continue to champion constitutional safeguards that strengthen and elevate the traditional institution.
