President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday met the Nigerian Governors Forum, which gave him solid backing on his decision to end fuel subsidy payments in the country.
The governors who spoke during a visit to the Presidential Villa on Wednesday expressed happiness at the President’s subsidy removal decision, all-inclusive leadership and statesmanship.
Led by its Chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) commended President Tinubu for tackling the fuel subsidy behemoth, promising to work with him to ameliorate the short-term impact of the decision.
“The NGF will follow the tradition of working constitutionally and harmoniously with you,” AbdulRazaq was quoted as saying in a statement.
The governors also highlighted the plight of citizens in their states, assuring the President of their support in proffering solutions through the National Economic Council.
In his remarks, Tinubu urged the governors to downplay their differences and jointly focus on alleviating the sufferings and pains of the people.
President Tinubu stated that the nation should be seen as one big family, adding that good governance would safeguard the future of democracy.
He said, “We can see the effects of poverty on the faces of our people. Poverty is not hereditary, it is from society. Our position is to eliminate poverty. Set aside partisan politics, we are here to deliberate about Nigeria and nation-building.
“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.
“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 are in a democracy, and we have to nurture the democracy. It is a hard-earned system and not easy to manage. If anyone thinks it is easy, look at other nations who are over a hundred years in democracy.”
