Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has praised President Bola Tinubu for scrapping the fuel subsidy and floating the naira, calling the moves bold reforms that demanded courage in spite of their immediate economic toll.
The governor spoke on Tuesday while hosting the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who visited Abia State to celebrate and promote the historic Akwete weaving heritage in Ukwa East Local Government Area.
Otti asked the First Lady to pass on his gratitude to the President for what he termed difficult but necessary decisions on the economy.
“I want you to please thank him. Thank him for his courage. Thank him for his sacrifices. Some people may not understand. It takes a man with courage to do what he did in 2023, remove petroleum subsidy, and followed suit with the floating the naira,” Otti said.
According to the governor, the reforms had sharply raised the revenues flowing to the federal, state and local governments, allowing them to fund projects and meet obligations. “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. And today, a lot of states are now paying salaries. A lot of states are able to build infrastructure. A lot of states are able to empower people to produce rather than consume,” he said.
He conceded, however, that the changes brought short-term pain, insisting such an outcome was unavoidable whenever governments carried out far-reaching policies. “Now, make no mistakes about it. Every courageous decision, every courageous action, has its own consequences. So, if you remove subsidy and if float the naira, it will take its toll, and over time, the economy will begin to correct,” he said.
Otti maintained that the difficulties facing many Nigerians today should be seen as the product of years of unsustainable practices rather than of the reforms. “So, what you see that people interpret as hardship today are the fallouts of previous behavior,” the governor added.
Source: Vanguard.
Comments 0