Former presidential aide and Ambassador-Designate, Reno Omokri, has rejected suggestions by the chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu that President Bola Tinubu is using mystical influence to consolidate political support.
Omokri, who spoke on Sunday via his verified X handle noted that the President’s expanding political base is the result of economic reforms and improved security, not supernatural intervention.
This is as Omokri criticised Momodu, former presidential aspirant on the playform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for attributing the movement of governors across party lines to what he described as “Jazz,” a slang expression for mystical manipulation.
He also pushed back against Momodu’s characterisation of the administration as an “Abysmal failure.”
He wrote: “Dele Momodu, President Tinubu Is Not Using ‘Jazz’. He Is Using Performance.
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“Even You Are Looking Fresher and More Robust Under Tinubu! Last week, Mr @DeleMomodu admitted that he does not know why various Governors elected on different political party platforms are gravitating to the All Progressives Congress and President Bola Tinubu, and attributed the situation to mystical powers colloquially known in Nigeria as ‘Jazz’.
“Then today, Sunday, March 1, 2026, he released a statement accusing the President of ‘abysmal failures in all ramifications.’”
Addressing Nigeria’s economy, Omokri argued that available indicators contradict claims of underperformance.
He asserted that Nigeria has maintained a favourable trade balance since Tinubu assumed office.
“In just two years, President Tinubu added $67 billion to Nigeria’s GDP, moving us from a ₦269.29 trillion economy on May 29, 2023, when he became President, to ₦372.8 trillion today.
“Since President Bola Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, Nigeria has not experienced even one quarter of a trade deficit, and Nigeria has experienced ten consecutive quarters of trade SURPLUSES.
“In the first nine months of 2025, Nigeria recorded a trade surplus of $10.83 billion, with exports of $44.06 billion outpacing imports of $33.23 billion.”
Omokri further stated that GDP growth reached 3.40 per cent in 2024 and 3.87 per cent in 2025, while the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund projected 4.4 per cent growth for 2026. He linked increased federal allocations to states to the administration’s reforms.
Citing Edo State as an example, he wrote: “In 2022, Edo State received only ₦87.50 billion from the federation account. However, in the first eight months of 2025 alone, Edo State received ₦176.63 billion from the federation account.
“It is this strong economic performance, rather than Jazz, that has led almost all of Nigeria’s 36 governors to align with President Tinubu.”
Highlighting developments in manufacturing, energy and the capital market, Omokri stated, “Under Tinubu, according to the World Bank, Nigeria now has the second-largest manufacturing base in Africa.
“We have moved from being the top petrol importer in Africa in 2023 to being the number one fuel exporter in West Africa in 2026,” adding that “the total market capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange stood at ₦27.915 trillion on December 30, 2022. Today, it is ₦122 trillion.”
On foreign reserves, he wrote that they had “surged to a 13-year high of $50.45 billion as of the end of February 2026.”
Discussing inflation and fuel supply, Omokri said:
“In May 2023, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate was 22.41%. As of today, our food inflation rate is in single digits at 8.89%,” adding that petrol prices reduced “more than three times” in 2025 and that fuel queues had disappeared.
Turning to security, he contrasted the present situation with incidents recorded between 2016 and 2023, including unrest in the Niger Delta and attacks in the South-East.
“Today, both regions are calm. Piracy has ebbed and is almost nonexistent. Oil production is at a ten-year high,” he wrote, noting that Nigeria exceeded its OPEC production quota for three consecutive months in 2025 with an average output of 1.71 million barrels per day.
