Senator Orji Kalu has expressed that President Bola Tinubu is fully aware of the challenges facing Nigeria’s struggling economy. He said that the president is actively engaging with the public, even conducting nighttime drive-around to gauge the sentiments of the people.
“The president himself knows that Nigerians are suffering and hungry. He is a street person; he knows the street very well,” Senator Kalu stated during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Kalu elaborated that the president often takes the initiative to drive around Abuja in his car, accompanied by one or two others, to observe the current situation firsthand. He stressed that Tinubu is not the type of leader who isolates himself in a room, detached from the realities of everyday life.
As of September 2024, Nigeria’s inflation rate has surged to 32.7 percent, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The economic landscape has worsened since the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, which has led to skyrocketing prices for essential goods, making them unaffordable for many Nigerians.
Despite these hardships, Senator Kalu characterized Tinubu’s policy decisions as “very courageous,” asserting that the economic difficulties are not unique to Nigeria. He pointed out that the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the global economy, contributing to the current economic climate. “The pressure of COVID-19 has not gone,” he remarked, acknowledging the widespread nature of economic challenges.
“Let me be honest with you. I know things are not the way they are supposed to be,” Kalu continued, acknowledging the discontent among the populace. He described the current economic environment as unfriendly and conceded that similar problems are being experienced globally.
The senator defended the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to which he belongs, stating that the party is actively working to reposition the economy and implement necessary reforms. “They are trying to reform the economy. They are trying to bring back the economy where it is supposed to be,” he asserted.
Kalu also addressed criticisms directed at members of the National Assembly and the ruling elite, who are often accused of being out of touch with the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians and living in luxury despite the economic downturn. He refuted these claims, clarifying that senators do not receive official vehicles. “I am in the Senate, and a lot of things are said about the senators, and I sit there quietly and watch. Most of these things are not true. All I know is that committees get vehicles; no lawmaker is given any vehicle,” he explained.
