President Bola Tinubu has acknowledged that there is hardship in the land, blaming it on some actions of the past.
At a meeting with the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, the President expressed confidence that Nigeria can progress through collaboration and inclusiveness.
”Regardless of party differences of the past and difficulty of the present, you still believe in me and what we all plan for this country.”
”I thank you very much; no one will do it better than us. I have travelled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness and financial structure.
”Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?
“We neglected our communities; we neglected the goose that lays the golden eggs; we forgot even to give them a good standard of living.
”We forgot to educate our children. Go round and look at the dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils to want to learn.
”We can complain from now till eternity that the school enrolment is low. But did we do anything to encourage the enrolment process? We must ask ourselves because it is a matter of conscience,” he said.
The removal of petrol subsidy on the president’s first day in office had tripled pump price of fuel.
Additionally, the move to to unify exchange rate windows, also a day one policy, pushed the naira to an all-time low, trading at above N1,600 to a dollar from N600 to one dollar he met on May 29, 2023.
Inflation also worsened under Tinubu, making some of his supporters to turn their backs on him as stakeholders continued to ask his government to find lasting solutions.
Earlier this week, former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, took a critical look at the living condition of most Nigerians and concluded that “the hardship in the land is getting out of control”.
Abdulsalami spoke in Minna, the Niger State capital, when he received the leadership of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), led by Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi, who paid him a birthday visit.
The CD delegation had asked him to prevail on Tinubu to find a solution to the hunger in the land.
The former head of state had lamented, “Everybody is crying of this hardship and it seems to be getting out of control. People cannot afford three square meals, the issue of transportation, the hike in fuel price, the hike in school fees for the children and the lack of funds in everybody’s pocket is making life difficult for everybody.”
However, Tinubu told his visitors on Friday that his administration is focused on delivering tangible results and making a positive difference in the nation’s infrastructure, food and energy security, education and long-term economic stability.
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