Alex Otti, governor of Abia, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying the hardship sweeping the country is a consequence of years of poor economic decisions.
Otti spoke on Tuesday while receiving Remi Tinubu, the first
lady, who was in Abia to celebrate the state’s Akwete weaving heritage.
The governor asked the first lady to convey his appreciation
to the president for what he described as his courage in implementing difficult
economic reforms.
“I want to also plead with you to take our felicitations to
His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola
Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
“I want you to please thank him. Thank him for his courage.
Thank him for the sacrifices. Some people may not understand; it takes a man
with courage to do what he did in 2023: remove petroleum subsidy and follow
suit with the floating of the naira.”
Otti said the removal of subsidy on petrol and the floating
of the naira had increased resources available to the three tiers of
government.
“What has that done? That has freed up a lot of funds that
would have been used in financing consumption to doing other things in the
federal government, in the states, and in the local governments,” he said.
“And today, a lot of states are not owing salaries. A lot of
states are able to build infrastructure. A lot of states are able to empower
people to produce rather than consume.”
The governor acknowledged that the reforms brought pain but
argued that they were necessary to put the economy on a sustainable path.
“Now, make no mistakes about it: every courageous decision,
every courageous action has its own consequences, so if you remove subsidy and
if you float the naira, it will take its toll, and over time the economy will
begin to correct,” he added.
“So what you see that people interpret as hardship today are
a fallout of previous bad behaviour.”
The governor also said Abia remains home to everyone,
“regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation. We believe that Good
governance transcends party affiliation”.
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