President Bola Tinubu says he has no regrets over the removal of the petrol subsidy, insisting that Nigeria will never return to the policy.
Tinubu stated this on Monday evening at a forum tagged “Together Till 2027: An Evening with Original City Boy,” organised by the City Boy Movement in collaboration with the Relax-Tinubu-Is-Fixing-Nigeria Movement.
The President said he removed the subsidy on his first day in office because the country was heading towards bankruptcy, with insufficient funds to sustain the payments.
He likened any attempt to restore the subsidy to asking the biblical Moses to return to Egypt after leading the Israelites out of bondage.
Tinubu, who took a swipe at African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar over his promise to restore the subsidy, said Nigeria must not reverse the economic decisions taken by his administration.
Recalling the challenges faced by his government, the President said the past three years had been difficult but insisted that tough decisions were necessary to reposition the economy.
He cited outstanding debts owed to airlines, dwindling foreign reserves and excessive currency printing as some of the challenges inherited from his predecessor.
Tinubu expressed optimism about Nigeria’s economic outlook, saying the country was on the right trajectory and that economic growth would create a better future for Nigerians.
He also urged supporters to see the 2027 election as a contest for their own future, insisting that Nigeria must win before any candidate does.
