…Says subsidy removal necessary to save Nigeria’s economy
By Dapo Akinrefon
LAGOS — Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Thursday cautioned politicians against heating up the polity ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying no political office is worth the life of any Nigerian.
Sanwo-Olu spoke at the 7th Annual Lecture of Freedom Online Newspapers, themed, “2027: Elections, Economy, Security and Nigeria’s Future.”
The governor said the 2027 campaign season was already taking shape, predicting that opposition politicians would increasingly make the removal of fuel subsidy a major campaign issue.
He, however, maintained that the removal of the subsidy was necessary to save the Nigerian economy, stressing the need for political leaders to prioritise the country’s long-term interests over electoral considerations.
The Chairman of the occasion, former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the 2027 election should be viewed beyond a contest for political power and as an opportunity to strengthen the process of nation-building.
Mohammed said politics must not override governance, arguing that the true measure of democratic progress was the ability of elections to strengthen institutions, attract investment and guarantee peace.
He also stressed the connection between security and economic development, saying businesses and investors could not thrive in an environment where safety was not guaranteed.
Similarly, former Ogun State Governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, described security as an economic issue and an essential component of the nation’s economic infrastructure.
Daniel urged the Federal Government to diversify the economy beyond oil, citing Nigeria’s young population, entrepreneurial culture, technology sector, financial institutions and creative economy as key areas of opportunity.
According to him, the priority should be to transform these sectors into productive jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards, particularly for young Nigerians.
“They need more than speeches. They need skills, employment, access to capital, technology, and a society in which enterprise and hard work can lead to a better life,” Daniel said.
In his welcome address, the Publisher of Freedom Online Newspapers, Gabriel Akinadewo, said Nigeria appeared trapped in a four-year election cycle without a corresponding four-year development cycle.
Akinadewo noted that by May 29, 2027, Nigeria would have attained 28 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, describing the milestone as significant.
He called for a political system in which elections would serve as a means of consolidating development, rather than becoming a recurring distraction from governance.
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