Why l removed fuel subsidy on impulse, not originally in my speech. – Tinubu

By, Sola Hundogan

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has noted that he assumed office during a time of economic uncertainty and had to make immediate, difficult decisions, including removing the fuel subsidy.

“On the day of my inauguration, I had to decide on something not originally in my speech, and that was the fuel subsidy removal,” he said.

Noting that Nigeria had reached a point of no return on the issue, the President said:

“The hallmark of a great leader is the ability to make the right decision at the right time. That was the day I declared that the subsidy was gone.

“The following day, I was hounded and thoroughly abused in the media. But I stood firm, knowing it was the right thing to do for our nation’s future,” he said.

Vice President Kashim Shettima lauded the President’s sacrifices, stating that history will remember him as the leader who took on the nation’s most complex challenges.

“Thanks to his boldness, future presidents of Nigeria will not have to wrestle with the same ghosts that haunted past administrations, including fraud-ridden fuel subsidies, an unstable forex market, and the suppression of local government autonomy.

“These were the thorny issues that many before him sidestepped. But Asiwaju did not sidestep history; he came to rewrite it.

“And in rewriting it, Asiwaju has taken the bullets that many before him simply lacked the courage to face. But that is the thing about true leadership: it is not for those who seek comfort. It is for those who understand that the path to national greatness is lined with difficult choices,” he said