President Bola Tinubu on Thursday declared that no amount of pressure or intimidation would make him abandon his reform agenda, insisting that his administration remains focused on delivering results for Nigerians.
Tinubu spoke at the State House, Abuja, during a meeting with leaders and coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, a political mobilisation platform set up to promote government policies at the grassroots.
The President said he was undeterred by criticism and political opposition, stressing that he remains committed to the task he was elected to carry out.
“They want to scare me off? It’s a lie. I’ve been through this path before, and if I have to come back over and over and over again, I’ll do the same thing,” he said.
“There is no better place than your own country, and no one can build it except you.
“During the primaries that got me here, it was tough. During the election, it was tough. Now that I’m here, all I can promise is that I won’t give up,” he added.
Tinubu told members of the group drawn from across the country that his commitment to the nation remained firm.
“Whatever you say I do, but one thing that you need from me is a promise that I won’t run away from this fight. With you, the deal is done,” he said.
The President’s remarks come amid growing criticism from opposition figures and some civil society actors over the pace and impact of his economic reforms, with calls in some quarters for him to step down due to hardship in the country.
Reacting indirectly to such criticism, Tinubu defended his administration’s policies, describing them as necessary corrections to long-standing challenges.
“I didn’t have to look back, because the truth is, I took over from myself. The late Buhari is me. He was a partner.
“If I took over from him, is that not from myself? So if something is wrong, fine, live with it, correct it, move on,” he said.
The President also urged respect for the judiciary and democratic institutions, warning against disobedience of court orders.
“We cannot submit to disobedience of a lawful order of a court. We must embrace the judiciary, whether it favours us or not,” he said.
“We submit to this principle of democracy, separation of powers and the understanding of its dynamics, and the nationhood that Nigeria is. We must build one country.”
Describing his administration’s agenda as a historic responsibility, Tinubu said the Renewed Hope mission was aimed at lifting Nigerians out of poverty.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime, to break the shackles of poverty and ignorance, to put freedom in the hearts of our people, to ensure democracy survives,” he said.
The Renewed Hope Ambassadors were inaugurated in Abuja on February 24 to mobilise support for the administration’s policies ahead of the 2027 elections.
Thursday’s meeting brought together the group’s leadership and zonal coordinators for a follow-up engagement with the President.
Present at the meeting were Vice President Kashim Shettima, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, and APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru, among others.
