Nigerian economist and founder of AWABAH, Tunji Andrews, has expressed disappointment with President Bola Tinubu‘s administration for failing to launch ambitious, large-scale projects across the country.
Speaking on News Central TV’s Jasiri show on Monday, Andrews highlighted the absence of visionary initiatives he had expected from the President.
“We need to think about the kind of activity that is so large that it affects Lagos, but it affects Kano at the same time. Affects Kastina, and affects Nasarawa, you know, grand projects. And that, for me, is why I think I’ve said it a couple of times.
“It’s my biggest issue with the current President. I’ve always looked at him as someone who is very visionary. I heard him speak about, before coming into office: borrow, grow. So, I thought when he comes in, we are going to see a Dubai-level project,” he remarked.
During the discussion, Andrews critiqued the outdated reliance on landmass as a key determinant of economic potential in Nigeria’s tax-sharing formula.
“We must realise where we’re coming from that brought the initial formula. In the previous order of things, landmass was a critical factor in measuring what your economy is supposed to do, especially landmass in how much you’re able to acquire in terms of sea land. So the amount of landmass you have also dictates how much into the sea you’re able to exactly acquire,” he explained.
He stressed the need for national projects of significant scale, citing Europe’s interconnected transport system as an example.
“What we as an economy need to do is, and this is why we have a president, and then we have states, we need to think more in national projects. So Europe is trying to do this connectivity across Europe states where you can connect everywhere through railroad and waterways.
“You can go from Malta to France. Do you think that can happen here? No, it’s just the Lagos-Abuja super railroad. Super highway,” he said.
Andrews called for a bold, unified vision for the country, highlighting the potential of large-scale projects to generate jobs, attract foreign investment, and accelerate development in underprivileged regions.
“We need big dreams for Nigeria,” he added. “Projects so large that they create better lives, more jobs, and help disadvantaged states catch up—not just through education, but by improving living standards and opportunities directly.”
