Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerians to be “generous” towards President Bola Tinubu, saying the president took difficult decisions to save the country from economic collapse.
Shettima spoke in Lagos on Saturday after meeting with
Tinubu, who returned to Nigeria from his annual vacation a few days ago.
The vice-president said he and Tinubu were in regular
contact throughout the president’s time abroad.
“We are quite thrilled that he’s back on the beat. Advances
in science and technology have made it possible to really have impactful
leadership wherever one might find himself,” Shettima said.
‘HE SAVED OUR ECONOMY’
Shettima said Nigerians should appreciate the difficult
decisions taken by Tinubu since assuming office, particularly the removal of
the petrol subsidy and the unification of the multiple exchange rates.
“It is absolutely essential that Nigerians need to be
generous to this poor man,” he said.
“When we assumed the mantle of leadership, our foreign
reserves was a staggeringly low $3.9 billion that was not enough to import fuel
for one month. He had the courage and the conviction to take power-reaching
decisions.”
Shettima said the economy was “teetering on the verge of
collapse” when Tinubu assumed office.
“He saved the economy.
I want Nigerians to understand this fundamental truism. We were on the
road to Caracas; he saved our economy; he saved the nation from falling into
pieces,” the vice-president said.
Shettima acknowledged the economic hardship Nigerians are
experiencing but said the difficulties would not last indefinitely.
“We appreciate the pains Nigerians are going through, but
tough times do not last forever; tough people do,” he added.
‘FG ROLLING OUT PROGRAMMES TO EASE HARDSHIP’
The vice-president said the federal government is
implementing programmes and projects aimed at reducing the impact of the
economic hardship on Nigerians.
“In the next couple of weeks, we are going to launch
e-logistics in the north-west. We are going to run 10,600 electric tricycles to
ease the pains of the people in the north-east,” he said.
Shettima also said 300 buses and e-taxis would be deployed
to “ameliorate the sufferings” of Nigerians.
He said Tinubu is concerned about the plight of ordinary
Nigerians and has “a lot of empathy for the common man”.
Shettima described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund
(NELFUND) as a major intervention that helps students from low-income
backgrounds access education.
He assured Nigerians that the administration would continue
to introduce programmes and projects designed to ease the effects of the
economic challenges.
Shettima also acknowledged the growing political activities
ahead of the 2027 elections, saying the administration would continue governing
while engaging in politics.
“Politics is in the air, but we’ll combine politics and
governance,” he added.
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