House of Representatives member Dr. Wale Ahmed (Agege Constituency) is 60 years old today. To commemorate the milestone, the former state lawmaker, Secretary of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) and two-time commissioner is virtually launching another book titled: ‘Political Parties, Ideology and Good Governance. He spoke with Correspondent CHINYERE OKOROAFOR on his legislative activities, the Tinubu administration and other partisan issues.
How do you feel celebrating your 60th birthday?
I thank Almighty God for everything. So much has happened over the years, both personally and politically. Through it all, I have every reason to be grateful. Some experiences have been quite challenging. But in the end, I can only say thank you, Lord. Every day, I wake up with gratitude in my heart. When I reflect on certain moments and how God Himself stepped in and took care of situations, I can’t help but give thanks. I thank Him for good health, for true friends, and for wise and supportive leaders. I remain thankful, always.
Do you think your impact is being felt in your constituency?
My relationship with the people is very close. We practically live together. I travel to Lagos almost every week, and I consider myself a one-on-one, retail politician. I go right to the grassroots, to people’s doorsteps. I am what you might call a “door mat politician”. I meet them where they are.
When I’m in town, they come around, we sit together, talk, eat—it is that connection that truly matters. I believe the only way to understand how best to serve people is to live among them and feel what they feel. You might have N10,000 and think you know the best way to spend it for them, but unless you’re part of their lives, you may miss the mark entirely. So, for me, it is not about assumptions, it is about daily interaction and presence. That is why from the very beginning, I have always been a one-on-one, doorstep, retail politician.
I am proud to say that I have been very active both at plenary, contributing to debates on critical national issues, and at the level of various committees that I belong to. Of the motions in my names that became the House Resolution, I will like to specifically mention the House Resolution calling on the Federal Government to increase funding for the National Orientation Agency. I believe that agency is critical to presenting the activities of government, to bring the awareness of the activities of government to all and sundry, and to present all those activities in the proper perspectives.
There are many government activities and initiatives that are beneficial to farmers, traders, students, industrialists, etc that those people are not aware of. A lot of people are just getting to know about the education loan scheme, technical aid Corps, etc. A lot of young people don’t know that the military and police institutions are now universities where they can earn degrees and make a career. This agency has a lot of responsibilities in disseminating the information and awareness to the potential beneficiaries. Some of them are not aware.
This government is doing a lot in the right direction. The agency has to bring all of these to the awareness of the people. Some people take to the television to cast these laudable projects in bad light. Also, it is necessary to counter the activities of those who have prospered in this country and have nothing good to say about the country. The countries they give as examples are those that never contributed to their success. Their businesses and vocations prosper here. But to them, the country is not good.
The agency should instill a sense of patriotism in Nigerians. The agency should also let the populace know that as they ask the government to do this or that, the citizens should also appreciate that they have certain duties to the country as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended. As J.F. Kennedy said, ask not only what your country can do for you; ask also what you can do for your country. The agency should also project patriotic citizens who are making Nigeria proud across all sectors. This agency, the reason it is the right agency to do so is that it has structures in all the 774 local government areas and 36 states and Abuja. It is easy to reach everybody, if properly funded.
Of the bills I have in my name, I want to mention two: the Ways and Means Bill that has been signed into law. I believe the administration has been doing so well and it will need money to carry out its activities.
The second bill, which is at Second Reading, is the bill seeking to increase the retirement age of health workers to 65, like the judiciary and lecturers.
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The Nigeria Medical Association sent a delegation to my office to thank me. The profession is being depleted through “Japa” and early retirement. You cannot stop “Japa” due to human rights. But you can keep experienced and agile professionals in the service.
What is your assessment of the Tinubu administration in almost two years?
I want to start by saying unequivocally that Nigerians voted wisely and chose wisely during the 2023 presidential election.
Definitely, the last one or two years have been very challenging, very demanding and at the same time highly rewarding for the country because Nigerians elected an experienced politician; a thoroughbred democrat, a champion of democracy and a fair minded man of vision and inspiration, who is obviously well prepared for the job of giving focus and direction to this highly populous country of very diverse people.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been prepared for this time by God. It is clear that he is governing with a good heart, with the required national outlook, and he is uniting the country by running a fair and equitable administration that is bringing everybody on board. I can see demonstrable courage and boldness, a rare clarity of thought and wisdom, as he is mobilising every segment of the society for nation building. He has been decisive in taking certain steps and difficult decisions in the overall national interest, thereby laying a good, solid foundation for greater tomorrow and future prosperity.
In specific terms, how would you assess the impact of his policies and programmes?
President Bola Tinubu presides over a government of reforms. His reforms and innovations fall within the framework of in-depth socio-economic restructuring, which, fundamentally, comes with transient pains, the types that will predictably herald a new lease of life for the generality of Nigerians, both now and in the future.
For example, under his leadership, Nigeria’s revenue base has ballooned and strengthened exponentially, translating in the lower sub-units, that is states and local governments, now having much more funds to channel into their developmental priorities. There is now a lot of fiscal discipline and financial loopholes are removed. I also salute his focus on grassroots governance as exemplified by the financial autonomy to the councils, which will foster development at the grassroots level.
Now, like the phoenix, Nigeria’s dead refineries are rising from the ashes, almost after three decades of being moribund. The Port-Harcourt refinery is producing. The Warri refinery is producing. Marching order has been given for the Kaduna refinery to start producing. The price of fuel has started coming down. You see, that is why it is about will, it is about commitment. It is about that motivation to write your name in gold. And, you see, that has effectively killed the prediction of those people who used to profit immensely and exclusively from the now erstwhile fuel subsidy regime.
President Tinubu actually deserves credit for his efforts at building infrastructure. When I was going to resume at the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto in 1985, that is about 40 years ago, I read in the newspaper back then that there was supposed to be a road from Sokoto to Badagry. I spent six years in Sokoto as a medical student. We never heard of the road until I graduated and it was never mentioned by the successive administrations. It has been there on the drawing board from the time of President Shehu Shagari. The new road will open up a completely different set of communities across the country, communities that we never knew or heard about. In Yoruba, this is what we call “dagbolu.” It is not rehabilitation but virgin construction.
Back then, there were two routes to Sokoto; from Lagos to Zaria by train, and you now go by road from Zaria, passing through Funtua in Katsina State, Gusau and Talata Mafara, both in present day Zamfara State before getting to Sokoto. The other route is the Lagos/Ibadan/Ilorin/Jebba/Kontagora/Yauri/Koko/Jega/Shagari/Sokoto.
This new route will open up new sets of communities, with attendant effect of ease of movement of goods and services, and economic development. It is the same for Lagos/Calabar coastal road. As a matter of fact, I said this during our debate at plenary in support of the 2025 budget presented by Mr. President. Let me quickly add at this juncture that I would not have gone through half of what I went through as an indigent student if we had Nigerian Education Loan Fund that we now have under this administration. As a matter of fact, for NELFUND alone, among other laudable projects, Nigerians should continue to support this administration.
In the same vein, our youths, vibrant youths of Nigeria, on issue of welfare, now enjoy unprecedented presidential attention. There are youths in the cabinet as ministers and other highly responsible positions, not forgetting the fact that on two different occasions, Mr. President has announced that the Youth Conference will soon kick off. He mentioned it again during his media chat.
With the emerging conducive climate that guarantee the ease of doing business, it is noteworthy that domestic and foreign investors are turning their attention to Nigeria, trusting that the bold reforms would be consistently implemented with fidelity as they are confident that the man at the helm of affairs is a man of integrity.
This government is also fighting terror with vigour, with increased budgetary allocation to defence and security, with greater motivation for our soldiers and other security personnel in the frontline areas, with huge investment in intelligence gathering and mobilisation of security agencies working in synergy to rid Nigeria of bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and other agents of violence.
Now, we have this year’s budget of restoration with us in the National Assembly, which we are going to do justice to, in support of Mr. President’s policies and in furtherance of good governance.
Many Nigerian youths today appear disillusioned and unpatriotic, often expressing the view that the government has failed them. What is your perspective on this?
I’d like to answer that question by drawing from the close interactions I have with people on a regular basis. When you’re truly among the people, they open up to you. They ask questions. And that is where information becomes critical, because the human mind is powerful, but without the right information and guidance, people often form their own interpretations of situations, which may not always be accurate.
What I’ve found, especially with youths in Agege and elsewhere, is that through direct engagement, we’re able to share accurate information. We explain what our leader, Mr. President, Bola Tinubu has done, what he is doing, and what he plans to do. We outline what outcomes to expect—both the immediate results and the long-term benefits of current government initiatives.
Importantly, we also help them discover the many opportunities that exist. For example, the Bank of Industry has programmes that support entrepreneurs, but many youths don’t know about them. The Ministry of Agriculture offers real assistance to young farmers. The Ministry of Communications is creating platforms and training for the tech-savvy youth. Even scholarships, federal and state, go unnoticed because people aren’t aware.
Take the Technical Aid Corps, for instance. It’s a long-standing initiative under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that allows Nigerian graduates to serve as professionals in countries like Tanzania, Barbados, Fiji, or New Zealand—fully funded by the Nigerian government. Many don’t know it exists. There are also career paths in the military, where graduates can rise to top leadership positions. But again, awareness is the gap.
That is why this one-on-one engagement is crucial. If we don’t reach out and share this information, young people are left vulnerable to misinformation—often deliberate and mischievous misinformation aimed at stirring resentment, not just among youths but the general public. And that’s something we must actively counter through connection and education.
I’ve been watching TV since the first one entered our home in 1974, and I’ve never heard anyone come on air to say Nigeria is doing great. Even during what many call the oil boom era, or under General Gowon when it was said that money wasn’t Nigeria’s problem but how to spend it, people still grumbled. Some even claimed the country was so bad that it led to the 1966 coup. Fast-forward to the 1980s, artists like Barrister sang about the country’s problems. It’s been a recurring theme for decades.
But today, some changes are happening that are worth acknowledging. For example, in the past, once the price of a commodity went up, it never came down. Prices followed a geometric progression—always upward. That was the norm. Now, for the first time in a long time, we are seeing a shift. Take rice, for instance, a 50kg bag that once sold for about N120,000 now goes for around N58,000. That’s more than a 50% drop, something unheard of in our economic history. The same can be said for petrol and other essentials. It might not be perfect yet, but it shows that there’s movement in the right direction.
Also, on education, there is no Nigerian child today who genuinely wants to go to school and is willing to attend a public institution that can say it is entirely impossible. Government institutions are accessible. The problem only arises if one insists on attending expensive private schools, which the government is not obligated to fund. So, yes, while there are still challenges, there are also clear signs of progress. It is just unfortunate that these signs are often overlooked or deliberately downplayed in public discourse.
What do you make of the recent economic changes, and how do they reflect on the current administration?
Well, as young as you are, can you recall any time in Nigeria when prices went up and actually came back down? That alone speaks volumes. It’s something we’ve never really seen but now, it’s happening. And that’s what worries the opposition. They are wary of the good work President Tinubu and his administration are doing because it leaves them with no lies left to sell to the public. This President doesn’t care about your party affiliation; he just wants good governance. He plugged financial leakages, increased federal savings, and ensured that states and local governments, those closest to the grassroots, receive what is due to them.
This isn’t theory; it’s practical policy. And the results are showing. Some governors no longer need to struggle or lobby to get what rightfully belongs to their states. They simply get it. That is the kind of leadership that brings peace, progress and trust back into governance.
Do your constituents understand and feel this progress?
Absolutely! I’m with them every week. We sit down, eat and talk together, not just in official forums, but informally, in a way that opens honest conversations. They ask questions and I provide clarity. A lot of times, what people need most is information. It is not always about slots or favours; it is about showing them the opportunities available, programmes, loans, scholarships, trainings that they can access on merit.
That’s why I’m grateful to God for the kind of representative I’ve been able to be. I don’t see myself as different from them. I’m one of them. That’s how I’ve always related with my people, and I believe they see me that way too. We are friends.