Victor EzejaNigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has appealed to the citizens to bear with his government over the current hardship as a result of the ongoing reforms, asserting that they are necessary to build a strong and better foundation for future economic growth in the country.
President Tinubu, who made the appeal, during his nationwide address on Wednesday morning, said he feels the pains of every Nigerians.
His address was in commemoration of the country’s 25 years of uninterrupted democracy.
Tinubu said that as the country celebrates political democracy, it is equally important to remain committed towards the realisation of economic democracy. He said the economy has been in desperate need of reforms for decades because it was built on a flawed foundation of over reliance on revenue from oil exploitation, but the reforms initiated by his administration are intended to fix the economy for sustainable growth in future.
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“The reforms we have initiated, are intended to create a stronger, better foundation for future growth,” Tinubu stated.
“There is no doubt that reform has occasioned hardship, I feel your pains. Yet they are necessary repairs required to fix the economy over the long run so that everyone has access to economic opportunity, fair pay, and compensation for his endeavour and labour. As we continue to reform the economy I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you.”
FG set to send Executive bill on Minimum Wage to National Assembly
The Nigeria president said the Federal Government has successfully negotiated with organised labour on the new national minimum wage and will soon send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly to make a law based on what has been agreed upon for the next five years.
He said that during the nationwide strike over minimum wage recently, his government did not resort to crackdown on workers as dictatorial regime of the past would have done.
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Nigeria returned to democratic governance in 1999 after over two decades of military regime. The Democracy Day celebration had over the years been marked on 29 May which coincides with the day Olusegun Obasanjo took oath of office in 1999 as civilian president.
However, former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2018 moved it to June 12, in commemoration of the most free and fair election in the country’s political history, which MKO Abiola was the presumed winner, but was annulled by the then military regime of Ibrahim Babangida.
Tinubu recalled the past struggles by various Nigerians for a return to democracy. He acknowledged the sacrifices made by individuals like MKO Abiola, his wife and others who laid down their lives in the fight for democracy.
Tinubu said that as one of those who fought for democracy and is now a direct beneficiary, he is morally bound to ensure that the citizens enjoy the dividends.
He pledged to do all that is necessary to strengthen democracy in the country, despite the challenges in governance.
“We pay eternal honour to those who laid down their lives, sacrificing everything to pave the way for the nation. I stand uniquely placed in this regard. I was among those who took the risk to midwife the birth of our democracy. I am now a direct and obvious beneficiary of the fruits of those historic efforts as a president of this nation. I am morally and constitutionally bound to preserve this precious form of governance. I vow to do my utmost best to protect your rights, freedom and liberty as citizens of Nigeria. Even more than that, I pledge to do whatever is necessary to cement democracy as our way of life.
“I commit myself to this work until we have built in a Nigeria where no man is oppressed. In the end our national greatness will not be achieved by traversing or traveling the easy way. It can only be achieved by taking the right one,” the president stated.
He urged the citizens not to slumber in the journey to greatness, adding that democracy and the institutions it begets, will convey them to the desired destination.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
