Don’t Condemn Tinubu If You Can’t Praise Him” – Ali Modu Sheriff

According to reports monitored by Ireporter Online, former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, has defended the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that those unwilling to acknowledge the President’s achievements should refrain from condemning his leadership.

Speaking during an appearance on Politics Today, a current affairs programme aired on Channels Television, Sheriff argued that Tinubu has implemented bold policies aimed at repositioning the country and strengthening the financial capacity of state governments.

He pointed to the removal of the fuel subsidy as one of the administration’s most significant decisions, maintaining that Nigeria could have struggled to meet its financial obligations had the policy not been scrapped. Sheriff stressed that the funds saved from the subsidy removal were not diverted for personal use but were instead distributed to state governments through increased allocations.

The former governor urged Nigerians to examine the monthly federal allocations received by states, noting that some now receive as much as ₦55 billion in a single month. Drawing a comparison with his time in office, he recalled that throughout his eight-year tenure as governor, his administration received a total allocation of about ₦150 billion, which he said underscores the scale of the current revenue improvements.

Sheriff maintained that Tinubu’s policies were designed to advance national development while granting states greater financial independence and capacity to deliver governance.

Addressing the country’s security challenges, he acknowledged that the Federal Government bears primary responsibility for protecting citizens but argued that state governments also have constitutional obligations regarding security under the concurrent legislative framework. He urged state authorities to play a more active role in addressing insecurity alongside the Federal Government.