Vice-President Kashim Shettima has appealed to Nigerians to be “generous” towards President Bola Tinubu, saying the President took difficult and far-reaching decisions to prevent the country’s economy from collapsing.
Shettima made the appeal in Lagos after meeting with Tinubu, who recently returned to Nigeria following his annual vacation.
The Vice-President said Tinubu remained actively engaged with developments in the country throughout his time abroad, noting that advances in technology had made it possible for leaders to remain connected and provide effective leadership regardless of their location.
“We are quite thrilled that he’s back on the beat,” Shettima said.
“Advances in science and technology have made it possible to really have impactful leadership wherever one might find himself.”
Shettima urged Nigerians to consider the economic circumstances the Tinubu administration inherited in 2023 when assessing the government’s performance.
According to him, the administration inherited an economy that was facing severe financial pressures, with foreign reserves standing at about $3.9 billion.
He said the situation required the government to take difficult decisions, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the country’s multiple exchange rates.
“It is absolutely essential that Nigerians need to be generous to this poor man,” Shettima said, referring to Tinubu.
The Vice-President said the President demonstrated political courage by implementing reforms that he described as necessary to prevent a deeper economic crisis.
“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 said.
“He had the courage and the conviction to take power-reaching decisions.”
Shettima maintained that the country was facing the prospect of a serious economic crisis when Tinubu assumed office, arguing that the President’s reforms had helped avert a worse situation.
“The economy was teetering on the verge of collapse,” he said.
“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, however, acknowledged the hardship being experienced by Nigerians as a result of the economic reforms and the wider cost-of-living crisis.
He appealed to citizens to remain patient, saying the difficulties would not persist indefinitely.
“We appreciate the pains Nigerians are going through, but tough times do not last forever; tough people do,” Shettima added.
