President Bola Tinubu has acknowledged that his administration’s economic reforms have created difficulties for Nigerians, and he understands the pressure households have faced, despite being a comfortable man who has not known the pain of the market.
Naija News reports that Tinubu spoke on Friday at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, where he asked residents to support his re-election bid in the January 16, 2027, presidential election.
Tinubu said he does not know the pain of the market because of his comfortable background but shared in the pain and difficulty of Nigerians.
He said, “It is difficult. It was hard. It was hard for me too. I could say, well, by history, I am a comfortable man. I don’t know the pain of the market, but I share your pain. I share the difficulty.”
The president also stated that the reforms were necessary to prevent the country from sliding into bankruptcy, despite the hardship they had caused Nigerians.
According to Tinubu, the naira could have lost virtually all its value if his administration had not taken difficult decisions.
He stated, “When I took over, 27 governors out of 36 in this country were unable to pay salary obligations, not to talk of pension and gratuity.
“Today, I stand before you, able to say we are out of the dark tunnel. I can beat my chest to say we are out of the greatest despair, the dark journey of uncertainty, and the calamitous possibility of bankruptcy.
“If we didn’t take a decision the day I took over, we would use wheelbarrows to move our naira because it would have become valueless. Nothing.
“We are talking of 1,300 now to a dollar because it still has pocketable value. If we had left it, it would have been a wheelbarrow when you go to the market to buy tomatoes. That is the truth.”
President Tinubu urged voters to support his second-term ambition, describing the 2027 election as consequential for the country’s future.
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