President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to be patient with his administration in the aftermath of the elimination of fuel subsidies, claiming that the action is in the best interests of the country.
Tinubu addressed in Abuja on Thursday during the public presentation of an elder statesman’s memoirs, Edwin Clark.
The Nigerian president, who was represented at the occasion by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume, stated that measures are being taken to mitigate the effects of the subsidy reduction.
“Solutions to problems can never be as instant as coffee. But we must certainly be there. I know the removal of fuel subsidy has created some things. And that is why palliatives are being put in place of 100 trucks,” President Tinubu said.
“Fertilizers have been sent to the states, 100 trucks of grains have been sent and more are coming. Buses are also coming. We can endure this for a moment. What we are going through today is for a better tomorrow. Nations are great because citizens have hope. They have hope that tomorrow will be better than today.”
His comment comes on the heels of the Federal Government’s approval of palliatives for state governments.
After its meeting at the Presidential Villa, the National Economic Council (NEC) approved N5bn for each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as grains for state governors.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State who made the announcement while briefing the press, said the government also released five trucks of rice each to the 36 state governors.
He also said the governors are expected to buy 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize, and fertilizers as part of measures to stem the effect of the removal of subsidy on petroleum.
Fifty-two per cent of the funds, Zulum added, were doled out to the states as grants. The rest – 48 per cent – is seen as loans.