Nigeria @64: Tinubu begs Nigerians to be patient to address hardship…says, there’s light at end of tunnel

As a part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary celebration, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a nation-wide broadcast on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) on Tuesday morning, reassured Nigerians of his administration’s commitment to tackling the current hardship, particularly the rising cost of living with renewed vigour.

Recall that Nigeria got her Independence from Britain, its erstwhile colonial master, on October 1, 1960.

While addressing Nigerians, he said: “Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times,” he said.

He added: “Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard.

“As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.”

He stressed that his administration was implementing measures to reduce the cost of living in the country.

The president also stressed the need for the country to either embark on reformation for progress and prosperity or carry on business as usual and risk collapse.

Tinubu also noted that since he came on board 16 months ago, reformation of the political economy and defence architecture had remained his priority to salvage the country from the brink of collapse.

He, therefore, called on Nigerians not to allow missed opportunities and mistakes of the past that plunged the country into the present economic quagmire to affect the great future that lies ahead of the country.

“We celebrate the progress we have made as a people in the last sixty-four years, we must also recognise some of our missed opportunities and mistakes of the past. If we are to become one of the greatest nations on earth, as God has destined us to be, our mistakes must not be allowed to follow us into the future,” the president said.

He added: “We found ourselves at a dizzying crossroads, where we must choose between two paths: reform for progress and prosperity or carry on business-as-usual and collapse. We decided to reform our political economy and defence architecture,” he said.

Tinubu, however, expressed delight that his administration had put the economy on the path of the necessary reforms to serve the people better.