…Says Subsidy Removal Yielding Results
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Barr. Pius Akutah has commended President Bola Tinubu on his bold and courageous reforms, especially in the economic sector.
Akutah, who disclosed this while speaking with Benue Conference of Journalists (CBJ), who paid him a courtesy call in Abuja said the president’s policy direction in the last two years has been laudable.
“We have a mandate, which is running right now. The President of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was given a mandate by Nigerians to rule this country till 2023.
“In the last two years, I will say, so far so good, he has taken some bold steps, taking some policy directions that are shaping the economy. Let me talk about the economy, because that’s where I am playing a role.
“You will see what he is doing with the economy. When he took over, you know what the foreign reserves were and you know what it is today. There is significant growth.
“The very first day, he took a very bold initiative to remove fuel subsidy, which many of you have written and condemned in the past. Of course, all the presidential candidates at that time, promised to remove the fuel subsidy but, for this president, he has displayed that capacity to do what he said.
“So, he kept his campaign promise by removing the subsidy. We don’t know if other people would have had the courage to go ahead and remove it.
“You know that at the time the President removed subsidy it was very important. A lot of people challenged it. Even some journalists wrote against it, because of the hardship that Nigerians were experiencing.
“He also acknowledged that there was hardship, but for him to stick to that policy decision and not reverse it has brought a lot of gains in the way government business is being funded today.
“Even at the sub national levels. You know that state government have more money now, local governments have more money due to that policy direction”, he submitted.
Speaking further, Akutah noted that “We need to commend President Tinubu for that initiative, which has put more money at the sub national level for capital projects to spring up. We are seeing many states executing many projects, capital projects, huge infrastructural developments going on in so many states”.
Continuing, the executive secretary said “You see where we were, on the economy. The GDP was at one point very slow and sluggish before President Tinubu assumed office.
“So, in two years now, we have gone very far. And for the president to create the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy also was a very bold policy decision to remove Marine and Blue Economy from the Ministry of Transportation and specialise the ministry looking beyond the marine economy, but into the blue ocean”.
