A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Segun Showunmi, has cautioned opposition figures in the country against allowing partisan interests to cloud their judgment on matters of national development under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Showunmi, who was a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 elections in Ogun State, said Nigerians often approach issues of national importance from the standpoint of partisanship rather than patriotism, a trend he described as harmful to the nation’s collective progress.
He stated that while it is normal and healthy for citizens to differ with government policies, such disagreements should be guided by sincerity and national interest, not political resentment.
According to him, genuine progress recorded by any administration deserves to be acknowledged in the interest of nation-building.
The PDP stalwart made this known in a statement on Sunday.
Showunmi cited recent improvements in Nigeria’s financial credibility, including the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, as an example of progress that should earn bipartisan commendation.
PUNCH Online reports that Nigeria was recently delisted by the FATF — a global body setting standards for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing — during its plenary session in Paris.
Tinubu has hailed the development as a “major milestone” in the country’s economic reform and anti-corruption efforts.
The decision formally takes Nigeria off the list of countries placed under increased monitoring, where it had been since February 2023.
Showunmi noted that such developments have direct implications for cross-border transactions, investor confidence and the overall financial security of Nigerians.
“Such achievements should not be dismissed or trivialised simply because of political disagreement with the sitting president.
“President Tinubu’s administration, like those before it, should be assessed on measurable outcomes, not partisan sentiment. Recognising national progress is not political loyalty, it is civic honesty,” he said.
He added that the benefits of national advancement are shared collectively, regardless of political affiliation.
“Every citizen, regardless of political persuasion, shares in the rewards and consequences of national policy. When the nation achieves progress — whether through economic reform, infrastructure growth or improved governance — the benefit is collective,” he said.
Showunmi urged Nigerians not to allow loyalty to political parties to overshadow their responsibilities as citizens, warning against what he termed a “culture in which cynicism is mistaken for intellect, and unrelenting criticism for activism.”
“Nigeria is far greater than any political organisation or individual. To ‘see no good’ in one’s country simply because of who occupies a temporary seat of power is a disservice to democracy. Constructive opposition strengthens democracy, but bitterness disguised as dissent corrodes it,” he added.
Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the FATF’s decision reflects international recognition of Nigeria’s continued reforms to strengthen its financial regulatory systems.
He noted that the country’s exit from the grey list followed more than two years of coordinated reforms led by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, working alongside the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance and other key institutions.
