Nigerian entrepreneur and civic advocate Akin Olaoye has publicly declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda, marking a notable shift from his stance during the 2023 general elections.
In a statement posted on his X account, Olaoye said his change of position followed three years of observing the government’s direction. Once an outspoken critic of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who actively backed the opposition, he said developments since 2023 had compelled him to reassess.
“In 2023, I was a critic. I distrusted the APC like many in my generation,” Olaoye stated. “I was disillusioned, and my conviction then was clear: the opposition offered the better path. I acted on it. I organised, I spoke, and I put my own resources behind that belief.”
He continued: “Three years later, I have changed my position. Not because it is convenient. Not because I was paid. I have changed because the reforms, the vision and the leadership President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown have moved the country in a direction I can no longer honestly deny.”
Olaoye highlighted the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign-exchange market as difficult but necessary steps to tackle longstanding structural problems. These measures have drawn domestic criticism over rising living costs while receiving recognition from international institutions for addressing macroeconomic distortions.
In its June 2026 assessment, the International Monetary Fund noted that reforms since 2023 had strengthened macroeconomic stability, reduced fiscal vulnerabilities, rebuilt external buffers and improved the functioning of the foreign-exchange market, though conditions remained difficult for many Nigerians. The World Bank similarly described the subsidy and FX reforms as important steps toward restoring stability, while emphasising the need for social protection to cushion vulnerable households.
Acknowledging the hardship, Olaoye said: “Fuel subsidy removal was painful. FX unification was painful. Nigerians have carried a significant burden through this transition. But I believe the architecture of a functioning economy is being rebuilt in public, with determination. Leadership sometimes requires decisions whose benefits are not immediately visible.”
He anticipated criticism over his repositioning. “Some will be upset to see me pivot. Others will cheer. I understand. But loyalty to a 2023 posture is easier than responding to what you believe the evidence before you now shows. I choose the latter. Nigeria cannot be frozen in the arguments of 2023 while 2027 and the future demand new decisions.”
Olaoye stressed that his support does not diminish the value of a strong opposition. “I respect those who still stand with the opposition. I admire their persistence and the constituencies they speak for. Democracy needs that contest, and I will continue to advocate for it. My position is simply that I no longer believe their current path represents the direction I want to support for Nigeria at this time.”
He rooted his stance in fiscal realism, infrastructure ambition and a willingness to take politically difficult economic decisions. Framing his engagement as part of longstanding active citizenship, Olaoye said he had previously supported candidates with time, voice and resources without payment.
Looking ahead to 2027, he pledged to apply the same energy “not as a convert seeking applause, but as a Nigerian who has watched the data, lived through the pain and reached the conclusion that the country must keep moving.”
Olaoye concluded that changing a political position in light of new evidence should not be viewed as inconsistency. “There is nothing democratic about insisting that a citizen must remain permanently imprisoned by a political decision he made in 2023. Democracy also means the freedom to reassess, question, change, and make a different choice based on what you see today. My position today is