Vice-President Kashim Shettima has appealed to Nigerians to make known their grievances against the government “in a responsible and mature manner.”
In recent weeks, there have been protests across Nigeria as Nigerians express their frustrations over various government policies that have brought about untold hardship.
Shettima acknowledged that the reforms are “more telling on the poor”, but added that they were necessary.
“If there are easier and reliable alternatives to the policy choices we have adopted, we would have adopted them,” he said.
The Vice-President spoke on Saturday at the 29th pre-Ramadan lecture organised by the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Muslim Alumni.
The event was themed “Economic Reforms for Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects for the Future.”
Shettima was presented by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, his special adviser on political matters.
According to the Vice-President, “The consequences of our past are the stark realities we face today, such as rising cost of living and pessimism over our prospect to turn round our economy in the direction of growth and inclusive development.”
“Yet, my brothers and sisters, we do not have the choice of continuing in the direction that brought us where we are today. We have to fix this country, and failure to do this is not an option. All the options we have are difficult and challenging.”
He assured that “Our administration does not plan to make the lives of Nigerians more difficult. Nor do we intend to deceive fellow citizens that the change in direction and the expected outcome can be achieved without pain or sacrifices.”
“We expect that Nigerians should express their feelings over our circumstances in a responsible and mature manner.”
Ezinwanne Onwuka, senior staff reporter and columnist with WAP is a Nigerian-based writer and content developer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her interests include reading, writing, researching and graphic designing.
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