“Nigerians Should Thank Tinubu For His Courage, Sacrifices In Transforming Economy” — Governor Otti

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying the economic hardship Nigerians are experiencing stems from years of poor policy decisions rather than the president’s actions.

Otti made the remarks on Tuesday while receiving First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who was in Abia to celebrate the state’s Akwete weaving heritage.
The governor asked the First Lady to convey his appreciation to President Tinubu for what he described as his bold leadership.

“I want to also plead with you to take our felicitations to His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

“I want you to please thank him. Thank him for his courage. Thank him for the sacrifices. Some people may not understand; it takes a man with courage to do what he did in 2023: remove petroleum subsidy and follow suit with the floating of the naira.”

According to Otti, the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira have freed up more resources for the federal, state and local governments.

“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,” he said.

“And today, a lot of states are not owing salaries. A lot of states are able to build infrastructure. A lot of states are able to empower people to produce rather than consume.”

While acknowledging that the reforms have caused short-term pain, Otti insisted they were necessary for long-term economic recovery.

“Now, make no mistakes about it, every courageous decision, every courageous action has its own consequences, so if you remove subsidy and if you float the naira, it will take its toll, and over time the economy will begin to correct,” he added.

“So what you see that people interpret as hardship today are a fallout of previous bad behaviour.”

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