President Bola Tinubu has insisted that he has no regrets about removing Nigeria’s petrol subsidy, declaring that the country will not return to the policy. He compared reversing the decision to asking the biblical Moses to return to Egypt, arguing that the government had to make difficult choices to prevent the country from sliding into financial crisis.
Tinubu made the remarks on Monday evening at an event tagged Together till 2027: An Evening with Original City Boy, organised by the City Boy Movement alongside the Relax-Tinubu-Is-Fixing-Nigeria movement as part of activities supporting his re-election bid in 2027. The President recalled that he announced the removal of the subsidy on his first day in office, May 29, 2023, saying the government could no longer sustain the financial burden.
According to Tinubu, Nigeria was facing serious financial difficulties when he assumed office, with debts owed to airlines, dwindling foreign reserves and excessive currency printing. He maintained that borrowing alone could not deliver national development, adding that his administration had accepted responsibility for the country’s challenges rather than dwell on the shortcomings of its predecessors.
Using the biblical account of Moses and the Israelites’ departure from Egypt, Tinubu argued that Nigeria must continue with the reforms rather than reverse course. He also criticised the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over his proposal to restore petrol subsidies.
Tinubu said the economy was moving in the right direction, citing reports of China’s economic growth of approximately 4.6 per cent and describing Nigeria’s own progress as steady. He urged his supporters to remain committed to the administration, insisting that the 2027 election was about the future of Nigerians rather than his personal political ambition.
The President also called on young Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and mobilise voters across campuses, markets and communities ahead of the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027. He urged them to communicate the administration’s achievements and plans while campaigning with their ideas.
On education, Tinubu reiterated his support for the Students Loan Act, which he signed in 2023, saying he had no regrets about introducing the programme. He disclosed that more than one million students had received support through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND.
He also praised his son, Seyi Tinubu, for organising young people through the City Boy Movement without seeking an official title or political office. The President, however, encouraged him to do more and continue serving as an example to other young Nigerians.
Speaking at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the economy could have collapsed if Tinubu had not taken what he described as far-reaching decisions. He credited the administration’s policies with repositioning the economy, stating that Nigeria recorded growth of 4.43 per cent in the preceding quarter and that foreign reserves were hovering around $60 billion.
Shettima acknowledged that Nigerians had experienced economic hardship but argued that the situation could have been worse without the government’s interventions. He also expressed confidence that the President would introduce measures to address agricultural challenges and bring down food prices in the coming weeks.
The Vice President urged young Nigerians to communicate the government’s position to the public, while highlighting initiatives such as NELFUND and investments in infrastructure as part of the administration’s efforts to improve economic conditions.
Meanwhile, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin praised the City Boy Movement, describing it as a political organisation that combines human participation with technology and artificial intelligence. He urged the group to use its AI platform to communicate Tinubu’s policies, promote his political philosophy and respond to what he described as unrealistic promises from opposition candidates.
Jibrin also called for the platform to explain the global rise in living costs, which he attributed partly to armed conflicts, while insisting that the President was working to address the challenges.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, announced plans to publish an account of projects and interventions delivered by Tinubu’s administration in his Zaria constituency in Kaduna State. He said he would hold a media briefing within 14 days to present the report alongside a scorecard of the House’s legislative, reform and oversight activities carried out in partnership with the administration.
Abbas stressed that the exercise would be an audit rather than a celebration, with each intervention showing its location, value and implementation status. He also urged other elected and appointed officials to account for their contributions to the administration’s mandate within a proposed 90-day period.
He asked the City Boy Movement to verify reported projects through photographs and town hall meetings, enabling residents to assess the performance of public officials and communicate their feedback to the government.
Earlier, Director-General of the City Boy Movement, Francis Shoga, told Tinubu that Nigerian youths were ready to participate in national development. He described the group as committed to promoting the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda and said its mission was to inform, engage and empower young Nigerians to understand government policies and participate in economic and national development.
Shoga said the movement drew inspiration from Tinubu’s political journey, highlighting courage, patriotism, persistence and decisive leadership as the qualities guiding its activities.
Credit: PUNCH
