Residents of Ondo State have urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritise economic recovery, reduce fuel prices and strengthen national security if re-elected in the 2027 general elections.
The residents made the call on Thursday in Akure, the state capital, while reacting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally held in the state on Wednesday.
Tinubu, who was represented at the rally by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, had appealed to party supporters to mobilise support for his re-election bid.
However, some residents who spoke with LEADERSHIP said the administration must move beyond campaign promises and address the economic and security challenges confronting Nigerians.
One of the residents, Fisayo Olugbogi, identified a reduction in petrol prices as one of the major expectations from the Tinubu administration if given another mandate.
He said the high cost of fuel had affected virtually every Nigerian, either directly or indirectly, noting that a reduction would ease economic hardship and improve living conditions.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should go beyond campaign promises and ensure that fuel prices are reduced because every one of us directly or indirectly makes use of fuel.
“If fuel prices are reduced, the economy will be better, and things will be easier for us. So, what I need most from Tinubu’s administration, if he is re-elected, is for him to find a means to ensure that fuel price is reduced,” he said.
Similarly, another resident, Bolu-Olu Esho, urged political leaders to concentrate on addressing the country’s economic, social and security challenges rather than making promises during election campaigns.
Esho said insecurity had continued to discourage farmers from returning to their farmlands, thereby affecting agricultural production and the country’s food supply.
He explained that improved security would encourage displaced farmers to resume cultivation and enable others to expand into commercial farming without fear of attacks by bandits.
“If you solve the problem of security, a lot of farmers will be able to return. Some of them who had left their families had abandoned their farms because of bandits.
“So, a lot of them will be able to return to the farmlands and begin to cultivate the land. Some of them will go into commercial farming because they are afraid of going into commercial farming due to the experiences they had in the past,” he said.
The residents maintained that improved living conditions, affordable fuel and a safer environment should form major priorities of the next administration.
They urged the president to ensure that government policies translate into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians rather than remain campaign promises.
