Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, a former presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on Nigerians to exercise patience with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tafawa-Balewa stated that Tinubu inherited a near-bankrupt nation and is working diligently to steer it towards recovery.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, the PDP chieftain noted that reviving a nation on the brink of collapse is no easy task and requires substantial effort to reposition the country and tackle its many pressing issues.

Tafawa-Balewa, a consultant nuclear chemist with a specialization in food preservation, also advised Tinubu to reduce the cost of governance by streamlining the number of ministries, which currently stands at 48.

He said doing so would free up resources for national development.

“He (President Tinubu) needs to adapt to the times and bring in technocrats with modern knowledge to manage the different ministries. We just need to slim down the number of ministers,” Tafawa-Balewa said.

He further urged the President to prioritize security, stressing the need for more effort to end kidnappings, insurgency, and other security threats across the nation.