On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu received support for his decision to halt gasoline subsidies in the nation and other early policy efforts of the administration.
At the State House in Abuja, the president hosted members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), led by its chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the governors were pleased with the president’s decision to remove the subsidy as well as his inclusive leadership and statesmanlike behavior.
They praised Tinubu for taking action to address the gasoline subsidy scandal and pledged to collaborate with him to lessen the decision’s immediate effects.
Earlier, Tinubu had urged the governors to work with the federal government to combat the country’s poverty problem, claiming that the degree of poverty is intolerable.
The president urged the political figures to put their disagreements aside and work together to lessen the misery and sorrow of the populace.
“We can see the effects of poverty on the faces of our people. Poverty is not hereditary, it is from the society.
“Our position is to eliminate poverty, set aside partisan politics; we are here to deliberate about Nigeria and nation-building,’’ he said.
According to Tinubu, the nation should be viewed as one large family.
“We are a family occupying one house, and sleeping in different rooms. If we see it that way and push forward, we will get our people out of poverty. A determined mind is a fertile ground for delivering on results,’’ he stressed.
The president said that good governance would safeguard the future of democracy.
“Present in this room is our diversity in culture and politics, but we are one nation. The unity and stability of the country rest upon us.
“We have managed ourselves very well to have a democracy. We have campaigned and arrived at our present destination. We must work for our people,’’ he charged the governors.
Tinubu assured them that he would maintain an open-door policy and was prepared to share ideas, strengthen institutions and create bottom-up frameworks that would improve the livelihood of Nigerians.
“We need synergy to fight other vices like corruption. We are trying to get smugglers out of the way. How do we work together to galvanize the economy, and put resources in place. We must think and perform.
“After removing subsidy, there must be savings accruing to the Federation Account,’’ he noted.
Tinubu said the education sector must be improved as part of efforts to reduce poverty and penury.
AbdulRazaq promised the president that the governors would support the Federal Government in meeting the targets of human development.
He thanked the president for the invitation to deliberate on the challenges of poverty and security, promising that the governors will support the federal government in meeting the targets of human development.
