President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians that his administration will not bankrupt the country, even as it implements tough economic reforms aimed at securing a better future for generations to come.
Speaking during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the State House in Abuja on Friday, the President acknowledged the hardships caused by policies such as the removal of fuel subsidies but insisted that these measures are necessary to build a resilient nation.
“Yes, removing the fuel subsidy was hard, tough for me, but it’s a hard choice that Nigeria must face. We are not going to bankrupt our country,” Tinubu said.
He explained that continuing to subsidise fuel would have meant mortgaging the future of unborn generations. “We were spending the investment of the future of our children yet unborn; we were spending their rights,” he stressed.
The President stressed that poverty knows no religious or ethnic boundaries and called for collective efforts to combat it. “Poverty has no religious colouration, no identity. It affects all, and we must fight it together,” he said.
Tinubu also highlighted the importance of tax reforms, urging citizens to view them as an investment opportunity to build a stronger nation rather than a burden.
He pointed to his administration’s efforts to improve education and security, two critical areas of concern for Nigerians. The establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) aims to ensure that no student drops out of school due to financial constraints, while significant progress has been made in improving safety on major roads and in farming communities.
The CBCN delegation, led by Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, commended the President for his efforts to reposition the country but raised concerns about the impact of fuel subsidy removal on the populace. While acknowledging the long-term benefits of tax reforms, the bishops urged the government to redirect public funds from religious pilgrimages to more pressing national needs.
“The government should allow religious groups to take full responsibility for organizing pilgrimages,” Ugorji said, citing instances of corruption in pilgrimage boards.
The bishops also called for a renewed focus on moral integrity and patriotic unity, urging the government to ensure that religious practices foster unity rather than division. They welcomed the President’s commitment to an open-door policy and his willingness to listen to diverse perspectives.
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