President Bola Tinubu has emphasized that Nigeria is not alone in grappling with poverty worldwide.
According to The PUNCH, Tinubu who disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, expressed these views in Lagos on Monday.
While acknowledging the presence of poverty and hardship in the nation, he asserted that these issues must be addressed.
One of the key strategies, he mentioned, is eradicating banditry and terrorism to allow farmers to resume agricultural activities.
He made these remarks while receiving a delegation from the National Assembly, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, along with Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, among others, who visited him for Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
Tinubu emphasized the need for a shift in the national value system to foster progress.
He stated, “Yes, there is poverty; there is suffering in the land. We are not the only people facing such, but we must face our challenges. We must find a way to eliminate banditry and terrorism so that farmers can bring out food from the farmland. If you do not have good roads to bring the food to the population, even if you grow the food and you are losing 60-70 per cent to damages, you will pay the price.”
He urged citizens to adopt a new perspective about Nigeria to overcome its current difficulties.
“The need (for some citizens) to change the rent-seeking mindset and become more productive to the economy is a challenge. The need to stop smuggling and all economic sabotage. Why should we have people removing rail tracks and all that, stealing electric cables and sabotaging the economy? We must embrace the campaign to change our value system. We must tell our people that the challenge we face is for all of us to change our mindset about our country,” he stressed.
The President also praised the National Assembly’s leadership for their support, which he credited for some of his administration’s significant achievements.
“It is great pride for me to have the best of partners in the National Assembly. We have to drill down and be all-inclusive in our bid to satisfy our people. It is daunting, but we cannot run away from the fact that this country must survive the hardship,” he stated.
Tinubu acknowledged the challenges and assured the nation of his steadfast commitment to initiating positive changes.
