Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerians to be “generous” towards President Bola Tinubu, saying the president took difficult decisions to save the country from economic collapse.
Shettima spoke in Lagos on Saturday after meeting with Tinubu, who returned to Nigeria from his annual vacation a few days ago.
The vice-president said he and Tinubu were in regular contact throughout the president’s time abroad.
“We are quite thrilled that he’s back on the beat. Advances in science and technology have made it possible to really have impactful leadership wherever one might find himself,” Shettima said.
‘HE SAVED OUR ECONOMY’
Shettima said Nigerians should appreciate the difficult decisions taken by Tinubu since assuming office, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the multiple exchange rates.
“It is absolutely essential that Nigerians need to be generous to this poor man,” he said.
“When we assumed the mantle of leadership, our foreign reserves was a staggeringly low $3.9 billion that was not enough to import fuel for one month. He had the courage and the conviction to take power-reaching decisions.”
Shettima said the economy was “teetering on the verge of collapse” when Tinubu assumed office.
“He saved the economy. I want Nigerians to understand this fundamental truism. We were on the road to Caracas; he saved our economy; he saved the nation from falling into pieces,” the vice-president said.
Shettima acknowledged the economic hardship Nigerians are experiencing but said the difficulties would not last indefinitely.
“We appreciate the pains Nigerians are going through, but tough times do not last forever; tough people do,” he added.
‘FG ROLLING OUT PROGRAMMES TO EASE HARDSHIP’
The vice-president said the federal government is implementing programmes and projects aimed at reducing the impact of the economic hardship on Nigerians.
“In the next couple of weeks, we are going to launch e-logistics in the north-west. We are going to run 10,600 electric tricycles to ease the pains of the people in the north-east,” he said.
Shettima also said 300 buses and e-taxis would be deployed to “ameliorate the sufferings” of Nigerians.
He said Tinubu is concerned about the plight of ordinary Nigerians and has “a lot of empathy for the common man”.
Shettima described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a major intervention that helps students from low-income backgrounds access education.
He assured Nigerians that the administration would continue to introduce programmes and projects designed to ease the effects of the economic challenges.
Shettima also acknowledged the growing political activities ahead of the 2027 elections, saying the administration would continue governing while engaging in politics.
“Politics is in the air, but we’ll combine politics and governance,” he added.