President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says his administration inherited a deeply troubled economy but chose to confront the problems through tough reforms rather than delay difficult decisions.
In his 66th Independence Day address on Thursday, Tinubu said the reforms were painful but necessary to put Nigeria on a stronger economic path.
“We chose to exercise the cancer. The reforms that filled were difficult. The side effects were real. Yet, we must never confuse the medicine with the disease”, Tinubu said.
The President said Nigeria had now moved from the period of economic reforms into what is described as an “age of prosperity”, with a focus on reducing the cost of living, creating jobs, supporting businesses and expanding opportunities.
President Tinubu said Nigeria entered 2023 at a point when poverty was rising and hope was “nearly gone”, leaving his administration with what he described as no choice but to act.
He said the country’s situation was similar to a patient who had been diagnosed with cancer and faced a difficult choice between undergoing painful treatment or taking morphine or temporary suppress the pain while allowing the disease to spread.
“Nigeria was like a sick patient who receives the terrible news of cancer” Tinubu said.
According to him previous governments had for too long opted for equivalent of “morphine” instead of confronting the underlying problems affecting the economy.
“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came, he said.
Tinubu said successive administrations had focused on symptoms while allowing deeper economic problems to worsen.
He also declared that Nigeria had “passed through our own Red Sea”, urging Nigerians to move forward with Renewed Hope.
Tinubu acknowledged that the reforms that followed had been difficult and that Nigerians had experienced their “side effects”, but argued that the hardship associated with the reforms should not be confused with the underlying economic problems they were intended to address.
“Our reforms did not create the weaknesses into our economy. They confronted them”, he said.
-9News Nigeria.
