President Bola Tinubu says it is not in his character to blame past administrations for the socio-economic and security challenges in Nigeria as he is committed to taking the right actions to re-engineer the finances of the country and stay on the right path to achieve progress.
The President spoke on Monday at the flag off of Agric Mechanisation Revolution for Food Security in Minna, the Niger State capital. Many current members of the Tinubu cabinet including Minister of Finance Wale Edun had blamed the current socio-economic and security challenges in the country on ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year administration.
However, Tinubu, who took over from his partyman last May, said his concern is not to blame the past governments but to embark on the right reforms to set the nation on the path of prosperity. “When you read the papers, some of us are confused whether to abuse the present or the past (governments) or make excuses for the future,” the President told the gathering which was graced by governors including the host, Mohammed Umar Bago, as well as agriculture enthusiasts.
“It’s) not in my dictionary,” the President stated matter-of-factly, adding that his focus is to “take action now, do your best, re-engineer the finances of the country and stay ahead of the right path. Those who may be complaining now have to understand that perseverance and consistency will make a nation great.”
Nigeria is battling mass kidnapping, rising inflation, food inflation, forex crisis, economic hardship and high cost of living occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy, attracting protests in parts of the country.
Channels Television reports that the Nigerian naira has seen a dip in the last nine months since the Tinubu administration collapsed the foreign exchange window. The naira experienced an all-time low, falling from about N700/$1 last May to over N1500/$1 at the moment. The authorities have since turned their focus to cryptocurrency platform, while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have embarked on many reforms including revoking the licenses of over 4,000 Bureau de Change operators.
The President encouraged Nigerians to make economic prosperity out of the multifaceted challenges confronting the nation. “It that time for Nigeria to face the challenge and make it an economic opportunity. We must care for people and harness our farming population, including livestock farming,” he said. Tinubu also expressed his commitment to partner with governors to banish hunger while he urged them to pay the current minimum wage pending the upward review of the wage award.
Furthermore, Tinubu said he is committed to ending economic sabotage caused by herders whose cows destr%y farmlands. The President said, “I know what it means as an act of economic sabotage when for roaming cows to eat up the crops and vegetations of our lands. I know it could be painful but when we reorient the herders and make provision for cattle rearing, (this will end). You are the governors who must provide the land. Provide us the land. I, as the President, I am committed to giving you in two, three weeks’ time, a comprehensive programme that will this problem.”
He said the Student Loan programme and other programmes of his administration which ought to have commenced are being fined- tuned. “The Student Loan Programme will commence. There will be employment benefits for our graduates. The social security programme for the elderly and vulnerable will commence. We are fine-tuning all of that,” he stated.
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