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President should’ve set the tone for reconciliation – Prof. Adibe
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Tinubu has addressed key things holding Nigeria down – Ogbe
President Bola Tinubu in a nationwide broadcast on Monday said among other things that his government has saved over N1trn from subsidy removal policy in two months.
He also talked about monitoring effects of exchange rate, inflation on gasoline prices.
The President said that his government is set to spend N75bn between the months of July 2023 to March 2024 on the manufacturing sector.
He talked about plans to energise Micro-Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) with N125billion
Tinubu in his broadcast also promised to increase salaries of civil servants, even as he appealed to the conscience of Nigerians to support the subsidy removal policy as well as other intervention programmes of his government
In a reaction to the President broadcast, Prof. Jideofor Adibe, Professor of Political Science, Nasarawa State University, in an interview said, “Tinubu should have set the tone for reconciliation, go into the agenda for reconciliation. It is my view that these are remarkable policy pronouncements but unless you have a nation of people who are ready to work together every solution that you throw at a problem becomes part of the problem.
“When people are harbouring a lot of grievances you need to talk about peace, line your speech with the need for reconciliation, for nation building. He did allude to a few things that are emotionally appealing. “It is something that makes me wake up and work for you”.
He added, “But focusing excessively on the economy, well, is okay. He said he was able to save N1 trillion in two months, what we don’t also know is how much businesses were lost as a result of the removal of the fuel subsidy the way it was done because obviously every policy has a cost. Most of the things he mentioned, making sure that he nurtures 75 manufacturing enterprises, each of them to get N1 billion at 9% interest rate, repayable between 12 months and 16 months.
“Assuming you want to nurture a business, what kind of business will you start within one year, and you will be able to repay N1 billion in 16 months. The student loan scheme that he talked about is not implemented as you and I know,” Adibe said.
On his part Audu Ogbe, former Minister of Agriculture in a chat said, “I am excited by the broadcast, and my view has always been that democracy is not the worst. In that piece of paper that it is written on, as long as it is promoting a viable and reliable economy. Now that the President has very seriously started dealing with this problem of economic growth which has been very static for a long time.
“The President is dealing with a problem which affects political cohesion. There was no need to preach harmony in the society, the big issue is the stomach. People are hungry, young men and women have no hope and no future. Many of them are hopping out, others are going into crime. Now that the President is beginning to deal with the real problem, which is economic development, production at home, self-sufficiency in food, manufacturing. We have no excuse for the hunger and anger in society. The President has said about the big issues, funds to develop the economy, activities to create businesses, especially in the rural area. These are the key things which have been holding Nigeria down,” Ogbe said.
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