President Bola Tinubu has acknowledged that Nigerians are not the only ones facing poverty globally.
While recognizing the presence of poverty and suffering in the country, Tinubu emphasized the need to address these challenges head-on.
One proposed solution is to eradicate banditry and terrorism to enable farmers to return to their fields.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu made these remarks in Lagos on Monday during a visit from a National Assembly delegation, which came to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir with him.
The delegation was 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.
Tinubu stressed the importance of a shift in the national value system for progress. He noted, “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 percent to damages, you will pay the price.”
He urged citizens to adopt a new mindset 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,” Tinubu stated.
The President also praised the National Assembly’s leadership for their support, which he credited with facilitating significant developments under his administration. “It is a 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 affirmed.
Tinubu concluded by acknowledging the challenges ahead and reaffirming his commitment to improving the nation’s circumstances.
