President Bola Tinubu has justified the removal of fuel subsidy by his administration, labelling it a “necessary” move to secure the country’s future.
Tinubu declared an end to the subsidy regime during his swearing-in ceremony in May 2023, leading to a hike in the cost of the essential commodity.
There were protests and condemnation of the move which critics say has triggered untold hardship on the teeming masses.
But during his visit to Enugu State on Saturday, Tinubu defended the move and said it was needed for a better Nigeria.
“You are all a member of one big, huge family called Nigeria but living in different rooms in the same house. This house, we must build it. Build it to satisfy our immediate need which is not going to be enough yet but for tomorrow too. That is why the removal of the fuel subsidy was necessary,” Tinubu said at a stakeholders meeting held at the Government House in Enugu on Saturday.
“You cannot spend the future of generations yet unborn in advance. Don’t bankrupt the nation before they are born. I know people will fight, grumble, abuse me, and everything but I asked for the job. I know what it takes. I believe in myself and I believe I can gather a very good team and build a nation.”
Tinubu called on Nigerians to show love for the country and shun negative comments about it.
“It is our country. We have to work really hard for it; to build a nation that we can be proud of. Change the narrative; negative comment about Nigeria? I’m not taking that! I’m very proud of Nigeria. You all should be proud of Nigeria,” he told the gathering which included Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, government functionaries, and other dignitaries present at the event.
Some of the projects the president commissioned during the visit to the Coal State are the multi-auditorium and multi-functional Enugu International Conference Centre; state-of-the-art command and control Centre/150 patrol vehicles fitted with AI-embedded surveillance cameras at the Government House.
