President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked Nigerians to bear with the pain of subsidy removal, saying the fuel pump price will soon come down.
According to Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of Information to the President, Tinubu, made the appeal at an interactive session with the royal fathers under the aegis of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), on Friday, June 9, 2023, in Abuja.
The president urged the traditional rulers not to worry as the country is in safe hands.
“We are all ears. We are ready to listen at any given time. I promise you an open-door policy; that is how I will go. That open-door policy is for you to call me and send me any concerns you might have at any time.
“We may not have it right 100 per cent of the time, but we must get it right 90 per cent of the time for this country,” he said.
Responding to issues raised by the traditional rulers on challenges facing the country, the President assured them, saying, “worry not because the country is in good hands.”
He added that his administration is very conscious of the expectations of Nigerians.
On the decision to remove fuel subsidy, for which various speakers at the meeting expressed support, President Tinubu appealed to the traditional leaders to persuade Nigerians to have faith that fuel pump prices will eventually come down.
“I am grateful you are paying attention to what I have been doing. You have paid attention to the subsidy removal. Why should we, in good heart and sense, feed smugglers and be Father Christmas to neighbouring countries, even though they say not every day is Christmas?
“The elephant that was going to bring Nigeria to its knees is the subsidy. A country that cannot pay salaries, and we say we have the potential to encourage ourselves. I think we did the right thing,” he said.
While acknowledging concerns about the need for critical infrastructure in different parts of the country, President Tinubu pledged that any roadblock in the way of the progress of the Nigerian people would be removed by his government.
“The lamentations about the capital projects—where will the money come from if we don’t protect our resources and boundaries? You cannot have development without capital projects,” he added.
On the leadership of the National Assembly, the President urged the royal fathers to counsel their subjects interested in elective positions on the need to manage their ambitions and create harmony within the legislative house.
President Tinubu declared that he is ready to work with any elected representative from the National Assembly, stressing that the Nigeria project is paramount to him.
“Nigeria must survive. Nigeria must develop. Nigeria must make progress,” he said.
On security, the President reiterated his pledge to Nigerians to prioritise the sector until every Nigerian “goes to sleep with their two eyes closed.”
He emphasised that the unity and togetherness of the country cannot be compromised, saying that every region of the country would get what it is due.
“We are going to tackle youth unemployment. Only when we have prosperity for the country can we create jobs to employ our youths,” he said.
