Nigeria’s Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, has urged Nigerians to be “generous” towards President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the president took difficult decisions to prevent the country’s economy from collapsing.
Shettima made the remarks in Lagos after meeting Mr Tinubu, who recently returned to Nigeria following his annual vacation abroad. (Daily Trust)
Defending the administration’s economic policies, the vice-president pointed to the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of multiple exchange rates as some of the difficult measures introduced since Mr Tinubu took office in 2023.
“It is absolutely essential that Nigerians need to be generous to this poor man,” Mr Shettima said.
He argued that the administration inherited an economy under severe pressure, saying Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at about $3.9bn when Mr Tinubu assumed office – a figure he said was insufficient to finance fuel imports for one month. (Trust TV)
According to Mr Shettima, the president had the “courage and conviction” to take what he described as far-reaching decisions to avert a deeper economic crisis.
“He saved the economy,” the vice-president said, adding that Nigeria had been “on the road to Caracas” before Mr Tinubu’s reforms.
Mr Shettima acknowledged that Nigerians were experiencing significant economic hardship as a result of the reforms but urged citizens to remain patient.
“We appreciate the pains Nigerians are going through, but tough times do not last forever; tough people do,” he said. (PM News Nigeria)
The vice-president also outlined measures the federal government says it is introducing to ease the pressure on households, including the planned deployment of 10,600 electric tricycles in the North-East, e-logistics services in the North-West and 300 buses and electric taxis.
He also described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as an important intervention for students from low-income families.
Mr Shettima said the government remained focused on addressing economic challenges while also acknowledging the growing political activity ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Politics is in the air, but we’ll combine politics and governance,” he said. (TheCable)
