German govt. acknowledges Tinubu’s reform measures as bold step, long overdue

The German government has acknowledged the reforms as the “bold steps” taken by President Bola Tinubu since he assumed power on May 29, 2023, toward taking the country to a higher level.

The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Gunther, who tendered the acknowledgement in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja, pointed to the efforts the administration has made in the past one year toward bolstering the oil sector, tackling insecurity, and corruption.

Gunther underscored the need for the Federal Government to stay focused on the economic reforms taking place, saying they were long overdue.

“The nation’s economic reforms were long overdue, and it took courage by Tinubu to implement such, knowing they would come with short-term costs like inflation,” she said.

The German envoy maintained that the reform measures taken by Tinubu would eventually help stabilise and strengthen Nigeria’s economy, saying the actions taken by the president are crucial to providing vital social services to the citizens.

“I would not say the president has done everything, but he is on the right track and we are eager to support and work together to make meaningful progress and also achieve this goal,” Gunther said.

She spoke of the need for the Tinubu-led government to strengthen its security agencies to put an end to kidnapping, killings, and other related crimes.

According to her, Germany is ready to to help Nigeria tackle insecurity as doing so will foster nation-building, transparency in governance, and enthronement of the dividends of democracy.

“We have been working closely with the National Security Adviser and Inspector General of Police.

“We have been actively engaged in police reforms in Nigeria.

“We have experienced former German police officers that have trained more than 1,000 trainers in Nigeria, who in turn have trained many other police officers.

“We have also equipped and refurbished the police training college, and we are proud to be the largest donor in this area, and it did not happen overnight.

“We are working together with the administration to make progress in governance and security,” she added.

The envoy stressed that although the Tinubu administration has been making efforts to tackle corruption, it should do more to preserve the nation’s resources.

According to her, corruption signifies a huge loss for the society as a whole and based on the progress made by Tinubu with several cases of misuse of funds already detected there is hope for the future.

“The people are eager to see tangible results with convictions and consequences because that is the most effective way to combat corruption and deter others from indulging in corrupt practices.

“We must see results aimed at ending impunity; and bringing perpetrators to justice is crucial,” Gunther said.