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Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, on Saturday said President Bola Tinubu is “doing the best he can all round” in managing the affairs of Nigeria.
Gowon made the remark after his meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, where he commended the president’s performance.
He expressed satisfaction with Tinubu’s leadership across key sectors, including politics, the economy and social development, as well as efforts to tackle insecurity.
“As far as it goes, isn’t he doing the best he can all round? So there is no particular place. Every other area—political, economic, social, etc.—and of course, the major problem that we have today, security in the area, he’s doing everything to deal with those for the good of Nigeria,” Gowon said.
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When asked to highlight specific areas where the president should improve, the elder statesman maintained that Tinubu’s administration is already addressing the country’s key challenges.
“There is no particular place. He’s got to look after the interests of Nigeria in all areas,” he added.
Gowon explained that his visit to the Presidential Villa was primarily to appreciate the president’s efforts and acknowledge what he described as progress being made under the current administration.
“I came to see him and to thank him for all the good work that he’s doing for the country.
“We had to look at all the good work that the president is doing and the progress that Nigeria is making economically and otherwise,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu assembled an eight-member task force to redesign Nigeria’s petroleum sector and unlock up to $10 billion in investment over six months, selecting a banker with no government background to lead the effort rather than handing the assignment to oil industry veterans or civil servants.
Fola Adeola, co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank and chairman of Fate Foundation, will coordinate the group, which must deliver three reform blueprints aimed at consolidating changes already underway, attracting capital and positioning Nigeria as what the government called a “leading global energy investment destination.”
The task force includes Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, Osagie Okunbor, Abubakar Suleiman, Adaeze Aguele, Farouk Gumel, Phillipa Osakwe-Okoye and Seyi Bella, with Mofoluwasho Fadayomi serving as secretary.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy, said the group would function as a technical reform body rather than a representative committee.
It will report directly to Tinubu with monthly progress updates, an interim assessment after three months and a final submission within six months, after which it dissolves automatically.
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The first blueprint targets immediate structural fixes through draft legislative amendments, executive instruments and institutional restructuring proposals. The second focuses on unlocking $5 billion to $10 billion in sectoral liquidity while protecting sovereign interests—language that suggests tension between attracting foreign capital and maintaining government control over oil revenues.
A third deliverable will outline a ten-year National Energy Transformation Strategy with targets for production, foreign exchange earnings, GDP contribution and cost competitiveness.
Tinubu directed all ministries, departments, agencies and regulators to provide technical support and submit inventories of ongoing initiatives to ensure alignment.
He also ordered existing committees and working groups within the sector to coordinate with the new task force and make documentation and institutional knowledge available.
The mandate reflects frustration that previous reform efforts have stalled or failed to deliver results despite Nigeria’s status as Africa’s largest crude producer.
Output has languished below two million barrels per day for years—well under capacity and trailing regional competitors—while theft, sabotage and underinvestment in aging infrastructure have drained revenue and discouraged international operators.
The Petroleum Industry Act, enacted in 2021 after nearly two decades of delays, was supposed to overhaul regulation and fiscal terms to attract investment. Implementation has been uneven, with confusion over provisions, resistance from entrenched interests and inadequate follow-through on promised changes.
