Eko Hot Blog reports that Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has offered a defense of President Bola Tinubu’s government, saying he inherited an “almost comatose” government from former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He made the claim on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics on Sunday evening.
Abiodun, Tinubu, and Buhari are all members of the same political party; the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Ogun governor is only the latest prominent figure in the APC to turn on the former president in defense of his successor of the same party.
Tinubu came to power in May and quickly introduced economic reforms aimed at restoring public finances and attracting more foreign investment.
His administration has ended a fuel subsidy and floated the naira currency — but in the short term, Nigerians are struggling with a tripling of fuel prices and higher food costs.
Speaking on Channels TV, Abiodun said he believes Nigerians should be patient with Tinubu’s government because it inherited an “almost comatose” administration.
According to the Ogun governor, he is optimistic the country would be better off in the long run, and as such, Nigerians should be patient with the Tinubu government.
“The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has been very bold and audacious. They have taken the bull by the horns. They have done what no other government has done in the history of Nigeria,” he said.
“They have had to deregulate to save Nigerians and they deregulated at a time when the pricing of petroleum was at the largest margin. But knowing fully well, they either did that then or the country would be brought to its knees. Like they said, there can’t be any gain without pain. He has inherited an administration that was almost comatose.”
Abiodun further claimed that a turnaround for Nigeria’s economic fortunes “is close” despite the fuel subsidy removal and liberalisation of the naira bringing a sharp increase in the costs of living.
“You know our President, besides being a former governor and a senator, he is also an accountant,” he said.
“So, he is someone who is very spot on and all hands are on deck to turn this economy around. We are very hopeful and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
In the wake of the subsidy removal and the hike in the cost of living, the Tinubu government offered a package, including a N35,000 ($45) a month pay increase for six months for federal employees, a temporary suspension of VAT on diesel and social security cash transfers to the poorest Nigerians among others.
However, these measures have done little to provide succour to millions of suffering Nigerians.
In February 2023, in the buildup to the presidential election, Tinubu claimed that he would continue with “developmental programmes” of the Buhari administration which Abiodun now claims was “almost comatose” at the time the incumbent president assumed office.
“We will continue with the developmental programmes of APC. It will not stop,” the president said at the time.
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