The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, says Nigeria’s large population is a major reason many citizens are yet to feel the impact of ongoing economic reforms.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, June 2, Bwala said that although government revenue has improved, it remains insufficient when measured against the country’s population and long-standing infrastructure needs.
He noted that Nigeria’s estimated population of over 230 million places significant pressure on available resources, slowing the rate at which economic changes translate into visible improvements for citizens.
“The answer is simply population and resources. The population is over 230 million. The resources we have, however, even with the increased revenue, are not enough to match the population and the deficit in terms of infrastructure. So, growth will inevitably be slow, but it will be slow, steady, and consistent,” he said.
Bwala maintained that while the impact of reforms may not be immediately obvious nationwide, there are already signs of progress, particularly through increased financial allocations to state governments.
According to him, higher revenue distribution has strengthened state-level administration and supported development activities across different parts of the country.
“When you talk about the increased revenue, the effect of that increased revenue is the higher allocation to states, which has resulted in state administration improvements and has also impacted the people,” he stated.
