Subsidy beneficiaries and smugglers are resisting my efforts to revitalize the economy.
President Bola Tinubu has asserted that smugglers and beneficiaries of the former petrol subsidy are pushing back against his efforts to overhaul the country’s economy.
During a meeting with the Forum of State Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House in Abuja on Friday, March 15, Tinubu emphasized Nigeria’s resilience against the purported “agents of destabilization” striving to disrupt economic repositioning initiatives.
In a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu underscored his administration’s commitment to channeling resources into critical sectors with substantial impacts on the welfare of Nigerians.
Furthermore, Tinubu affirmed that his government is diligently working to enhance living standards, urging grassroots leaders to motivate citizens to obtain their National Identification Number (NIN). This, he explained, is vital for planning, structuring interventions, and facilitating full integration into various relief programs.
“As we are fighting corruption, smugglers and old subsidy beneficiaries, they most certainly will fight back. All those who falsified records and became losers with the subsidy (on petroleum products) removal, they will fight back.
“But we will defend our people. The treasury belongs to the people, and that sacred trust must not be abused.
“I urge the state chairmen that regardless of party affiliation, let us help citizens by mobilizing them for NIN registration. Not just PVCs. Some are poor Nigerians who have not experienced formal education and have no understanding of what NIN is and how it will benefit their lives. We must teach them. We must care for them.
“Without NIN, we cannot embark on social security interventions for the vulnerable. We will be making faulty moves without accurate data and iron-clad, digital intervention structures.
“I have established a committee of governors, and it is headed by the Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima. It is working on what must be done to further lift our people.
“We need to give hope, and we are giving it to the country and our citizens. We are working hard, day and night, even though some agents of destabilization are present in the polity. Nigerians, with our focused support, shall defeat them.
“The programme of our government will be truly progressive; student loans, a national consumer credit system, and social welfare for the unemployed, as well as graduates. Every Nigerian will find a place of belonging in our country.
“In the eye of even the biggest hurricane, we will find that place of tranquility and prosperous harmony for the benefit of all. Nigerians will all partake on this national journey to prosperity.”
Also commenting on his plans for agriculture, Tinubu said his government had already drawn up a blueprint for large-scale livestock farming, which will be activated soon.
He added;
“We are bringing mechanized farming to the fore. Yesterday’s crisis will become today’s opportunity. Fertilizers are being supplied to farmers as we speak. Agriculture and economic diversification provide the answers to our problems. We will not continue to import food. We know how to turn lack into abundance, and the world will watch us do it again.”
