Painful Reforms Are Necessary For Greater Future, Tinubu Says In Independence Speech

The current government reforms are necessary to take Nigeria to greatness, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said in a nationwide broadcast to mark the country’s 63rd independence anniversary.

Since he came to office on May 29, President Tinubu has introduced some economic reforms such as ending the fuel subsidy regime, foreign exchange unification, tax reforms, amongst others.

His critics say the reforms have brought untold hardship to Nigeria, particularly, the removal of petrol subsidy which hiked the pump price of petrol to over N600 per litre, from N185 per litre when he came to power on May 29.

Also, the foreign exchange unification has dealt a serious blow of devaluation to Naira, which now exchanges for as high as N1000 to the American dollar.

Some Nigerians have openly criticized the government, saying they have brought serious hardship to them, they decisions were not well thought out before they were made, according to critics of the government.

President Tinubu, however, said the reforms were necessary to leap frog the country to a better future, even though they are painful at the moment.

He said the reforms should have been introduced long before now, noting that Nigerians must endure the present hardship if “we are to reach the good side of our future.”f

According to the president, “reform may be painful, but it is what greatness and the future require. We now carry the costs of reaching a future Nigeria where the abundance and fruits of the nation are fairly shared among all, not hoarded by a select and greedy few. A Nigeria where hunger, poverty and hardship are pushed into the shadows of an ever fading past.

“There is no joy in seeing the people of this nation shoulder burdens that should have been shed years ago. I wish today’s difficulties did not exist. But we must endure if we are to reach the good side of our future.”