Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has blamed the economic challenges inherited by President Bola Tinubu on the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, claiming that Nigeria was on the brink of collapse when the current government took over in 2023.
Mutfwang said the Buhari administration left the country struggling to meet its external debt obligations, with foreign reserves falling to just over $3 billion.
The governor spoke on Monday during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council in Jos, Plateau State, where he defended Tinubu’s economic policies and urged residents to support the President’s re-election bid in 2027, Naija News reports.
According to him, the country’s economic situation was so bad that some international airlines stopped operating flights to Nigeria because they could not take their earnings out of the country.
“Where did President Tinubu meet Nigeria in 2023? He met Nigeria, tottering on the brink of collapse, Nigeria that could not service its external debts, Nigeria that would not even allow businesses outside the country to take their proceeds back home.
“And that is why some international airlines stopped flying to Nigeria, because they could not get the dollars to take back their money.
“Our external reserve was down to just a little over $3 billion, from the over $40 billion it had accumulated for decades.
“Today, by the grace of God, we have a healthy external reserve of over $50 billion,” he said.
Mutfwang also accused the previous administration of printing more than ₦30 trillion to manage the economy, claiming that the money was wasted.
He said the Central Bank of Nigeria had since stabilised under the Tinubu administration and that the financial deficit created by the previous government had been addressed.
“When the President took over in 2023, the government that he succeeded had run out of ideas on how to manage the economy, and they resorted to printing money in the Central Bank.
“They printed over N30 trillion, which went down the drain.
“Today, by the grace of God, the Central Bank has stabilised, and that deficit has been done away with,” the governor stated.
Mutfwang Defends Fuel Subsidy Removal
The Plateau governor also defended the removal of fuel subsidy, describing the previous system as fraudulent.
He alleged that the country borrowed money to pay subsidy claims backed by fake documents, insisting that the government could no longer continue spending borrowed funds on such payments.
“I say it was a fraud because we were borrowing money to pay people who brought fictitious documents. They never brought any wealth. They brought fictitious documents, claimed monies and subsidies.
“You cannot continue to borrow money to give to thieves. You have to stop it at some point. And when it is stopped, there will be a payback; there will be a recovery time,” he said.
He acknowledged that petrol had become expensive but argued that Nigerians now had better access to the product compared to the period when long queues were common at filling stations.
According to him, fuel availability has improved, even though the price remains high.
“Today, by the grace of God, we have solved one side of the equation. Today fuel is available. It may not be cheap, but it is available.
“Those of us who are in my age bracket or a little below will remember the times when we spent days in petrol stations queuing for fuel that we could hardly get. But we have been able to resolve that,” he added.
Mutfwang further claimed that the Buhari administration sold crude oil in advance, leaving the current government to settle obligations arising from those deals.
He said the country could not expect all its economic problems to disappear immediately because it was still paying for previous commitments.
“Part of the problem of the Buhari regime is that they got to a point that they didn’t know what to do, so they sold our future crude. The crude we are yet to dig from the ground has been sold in advance.
“And today we are paying that debt. We are paying that debt. And so we cannot expect things to simply change overnight,” he said.
Mutfwang Lists Plateau Government’s Achievements
The governor also highlighted some of the steps his administration had taken to reduce the effects of the economic situation on residents of Plateau State.
He listed the introduction of metro buses, the revival of the railway system within Jos metropolis and a 50 per cent reduction in school fees for students in tertiary institutions.
He added that his government had increased students’ allowances by about 300 per cent.
Mutfwang also praised the Federal Government’s student financing programme, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying many Plateau indigenes studying in universities had benefited from it.
“It is also a great joy in my heart that the President also came up with a new scholarship for students called NELFUND.
“Today, hundreds of millions have been given to Plateau indigenes who are studying in different universities. Some are getting N20,000 monthly, N40,000 monthly. It has never happened before,” he said.
Mutfwang Backs Power Rotation, Seeks Tinubu’s Re-election
On the 2027 general election, Mutfwang called for power rotation between the North and South, arguing that the political arrangement should be respected.
He said the South should be allowed to complete another eight years in power after the North had spent eight years under the previous administration.
“We must agree that power should rotate between the North and the South. And if the North spends 8 years, which we have nothing to show for, it is only fair that we allow the South to do another 8 years.
“Because if we don’t respect that sharing arrangement, it will come back to haunt us someday,” he said.
The governor also declared that there was no vacancy in Plateau Government House ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
He explained that the state had agreed on a two-term arrangement for each senatorial zone, warning that the Northern Zone could lose its chance to produce the next governor if the arrangement was not respected.
“And that is why in Plateau State, we have already agreed that it is two terms per senatorial zone. Except the northern zone does not want to produce a governor until 2035, then you can toy with my mandate,” he said.
Mutfwang urged APC candidates and members of the campaign council to sell the achievements of the Tinubu administration to voters with facts and honesty.
He also warned them against actions that could create divisions, saying they must work towards bringing people together.
“I’d like to urge all our candidates for the various positions; you must lead from the front. You must be bridge-builders,” he said.
The governor expressed confidence that Tinubu would win Plateau State in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, adding that residents would also renew his own mandate two weeks later.
Mutfwang also admitted that hunger and insecurity remained major challenges in the country and Plateau State but insisted that his administration was taking steps to address them.
He said tackling insecurity required consistent efforts and could not be achieved overnight.
“On security, I know our opponents will say there is hunger in the land. We don’t deny it. They will say that the insecurity situation has not abated. We don’t deny it.
“But if they say we have not taken steps at all to address those issues, they know they are lying.
“Insecurity is not like tap water, where you simply turn on the tap and it flows down. It requires concerted, deliberate, intentional, sustained efforts before you get results,” he said.
The governor promised to protect communities across the state and disclosed plans to deploy additional security personnel.
He also said his government would soon begin practical steps to support the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their communities.
“One thing I have committed myself to is that I will ensure the protection of every inch of land in Plateau State.
“Very soon we are going to be taking practical steps to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons back to their communities.
“And so, all we are asking Plateau people to do is trust us and be patient with us, and by the grace of God, you will not regret it,” Mutfwang added.
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