Tinubu seeks support, promises more interventions to ease hardship

• Be patient with Tinubu, economy will be better, says Abia governor
• LP: Nigerians celebrating Christmas on empty stomachs
• Free Kanu as Christmas gift to Ndigbo, Ohanaeze begs Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, said his administration would continue to implement more palliative measures to ease the cascading hardship occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of the exchange rate, among other economic reforms.

He further promised to place Nigeria on a path of “irreversible progress” soon.

“My administration will continue to implement palliative measures to ease the burden on the most vulnerable, address current hardships and alleviate the suffering of all our nation’s people,” Tinubu affirmed in his maiden Christmas message to Nigerians as President.

Furthermore, the Presidency said neither President Tinubu nor the party to which he belongs, the All Progressives Congress (APC), can build Nigeria alone, noting that building a Nigeria that works for over 200 million people requires the input of every citizen regardless of political affiliations.

The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, stated this in a 60-Minute Christmas Day Special Feature on Channels Television’s NewsNight, which fully airs at 09:00 p.m. (local time) on Monday, December 25.

In a two-minute teaser, Ngelale said: “This is the nation we have to build and it’s not APC that will build it. It is not the PDP or Labour Party that will build it. It is Nigerians that will build it.

“So, we need everybody and that’s the message. President Tinubu needs every Nigerian to key into what he’s doing. This is not a partisan issue, and we will not treat governance as a partisan issue so long as he is in authority.”

The interview would feature “contentious issues of 2023 under review, with a prospectus ahead of 2024.”

Earlier in a personally signed statement released by the State House, the President said: “Fellow Nigerians, Christmas is a special time of the year for all of us. For Christians, this time of the year marks the birth of Jesus Christ and celebrates the hope and redemption that are the hallmarks of Christ’s life.

“For people of all faiths, this is an opportunity to enjoy the company of family, celebrate life, and delight in the gifts of love and friendship that make life worthwhile.
“This is also a time to look out for each other because, amidst the festivities, this time of the year for many will be tinged with sadness: some mourning the loss of loved ones and others grieving the hopes that failed to materialise and the dreams that fell short.”

The President acknowledged that the past six months of his administration “has been a time of transformation and relentless change in our country.”
He said: “I am aware that the necessary reforms we are implementing, to achieve a more prosperous and peaceful nation for all, have imposed unique sacrifices.”

Therefore, Tinubu appealed to citizens to “hold fast and rest assured” of his commitment to “govern with vision, dedication, and empathy,” as he transits the nation “to stability, prosperity, and Renewed Hope.”

Joining in calls for support for the president, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has urged Nigerians to exercise patience with the economic policies initiated by President Tinubu, expressing optimism that positive changes are on the horizon.

Speaking in Lagos, yesterday, after paying a Christmas homage to the President, Otti said that the present administration inherited a challenging economic landscape.

The sole opposition Labour Party (LP) governor highlighted issues such as surging inflation, a substantial debt profile and high unemployment that Tinubu faced on taking office.

“Tinubu came in at a difficult time when inflation was close to 30 per cent, the national debt almost $40 billion, and unemployment close to 33.3 per cent. The President has been very courageous, unifying the exchange rate and removing fuel subsidy which had become a scam and cost the nation a lot of money,” Otti said.

The governor said that the positive aspects of these policies would soon transform into the reduction of poverty among the over 60 per cent of the population.

“So, it’s not going to be easy immediately, but I believe if we are patient and if we go through the policies without compromising, over time, things will turn around,” he said.

Otti also commended Tinubu for authorising the commencement of reconstruction work on the failed portion of the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway. He expressed confidence that the road would soon be opened for road users, significantly reducing travel time from Port Harcourt to Aba.

“After elections, politics takes the back seat, and governance takes pre-eminence. All we are doing is for the interest of Nigerians, and the federal government is also supporting us.”

However, his party National Chairman, Julius Abure, has expressed sadness that most Nigerians will be celebrating this year’s Christmas on empty stomachs due to bad leadership.

In his Christmas message to Nigerians, on Sunday, Abure, however, called on Nigerians to “let the lessons learned from the birth of Jesus Christ guide our lives individually and collectively in order to make the world a beautiful place to live.

“Nigeria is an example of a nation, which God created and ensured that abundance of deposits of resources are huge enough to make us a giant nation.

“Nigeria must have been created as a perfect example of ‘heaven on earth’ but leadership has remained the bane and today, in spite of the abundance of resources, Nigeria is ranked as one of the poorest nations in the world.

“Today, most Nigerians would be celebrating Christmas on empty stomach due to bad leadership. A few days ago, the APC-led government with fanfare and heart-thumping, came up with a policy that guarantees reduction by half, transportation for holiday markers.

“And I sometimes question the level of advice this government gets. In a nation of over 200 million persons, the government employed the services of only five transport companies, in addition to the rail services, which completely excluded a particular Christian dominated zone. The beneficiaries of this social scheme will be less than 0.05 per cent of Nigerians.

“The question has always been, what happens after the Yuletide when the scheme would have ceased to function? Would the government also subsidise the transport system in Nigeria as it boasted months ago?” the LP boss queried.

This is just as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has begged President Tinubu to free the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, as a Christmas gift to the Igbo.

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, made this appeal in a statement to newsmen in Owerri, as part of his Christmas message through his Special Adviser Media and Publicity, Ben Osuagwu.

However, Ohanaeze believes that freeing Kanu from detention would go a long way to show that the Federal Government was interested in dousing the insecurity in the Southeast region.